More than half of maternity hospitals inspected over the last year fell short of expectations. In London, just three were rated ‘outstanding’. 10 were rated ‘good’ and three were ‘inadequate’. The remaining ones ‘require improvement’.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC), which regulates health and care providers in England, inspected 101 NHS maternity units over the last 12 months. Across England, 39 have been given a rating of ‘requires improvement’, while 17 have been deemed ‘inadequate’. That means 55 per cent of recently inspected maternity units are considered substandard.
In comparison, 41 maternity units have been rated as ‘good’, and just four across England are considered ‘outstanding’ – Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, West Middlesex University Hospital in Isleworth, St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, and Queen Charlottes and Chelsea Hospital in Hammersmith.
Explore the ratings for all maternity units below:
Meanwhile, the proportion of spontaneous deliveries has plummeted over the last decade. Back in 2012/13, almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of deliveries were spontaneous.
That fell to just 43 per cent by 2022/23, the latest year for which figures are available. The number of caesarean deliveries, meanwhile, has risen from 13 per cent to 23 per cent in that time.
Induced deliveries made up 23 per cent of the total in 2012/13, but 43% in 2022/23.
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