Gloucestershire maternity service failures 'putting women and babies at risk'

A shortage of maternity staff is putting women and babies at risk in Gloucestershire, inspectors have said.

The county's maternity services have been downgraded by two levels, from good to inadequate, by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Its report highlighted staff shortages, missed training, exhaustion among workers and concerns over equipment.

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust issued an apology and said improvements have been made.

CQC inspectors visited maternity wards, birth units and community midwives in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Stroud in April after receiving concerns about the "culture, safety and quality of services".

They found the service did not have enough midwifery staff with the "right qualifications, skills, training and experience to keep women safe from avoidable harm or to provide the right treatment all the time".

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Source: BBC News, 22 July 2022