Crisis in NHS maternity units revealed as 21 rated ‘substandard’

Care Quality Commission finds many services inadequate, needing improvement or shut over safety concerns

Nearly half of all NHS hospital maternity services covered so far by a national inspection programme have been rated as substandard, the Observer can reveal.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), which regulates health and care providers in England, began its maternity inspection programme last August after the Ockenden review into the Shropshire maternity scandal, which saw 300 babies left dead or brain damaged by inadequate NHS care.