Staffing crisis, delays and cancellations - Manchester midwives have been warning of 'failures' to mums and babies for years

Maternity care in Manchester has been hit with damning reports, rating it ‘inadequate’ as three hospitals have been warned to make urgent improvements to keep mothers and babies safe.

Patients have been left at risk because of delays and cancellations to planned Caesareans or surgical births, and inductions of labour - which kickstart childbirth, according to inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Any delays or missed opportunities to stop harm can cause serious complications and make it more likely that mothers and their babies will need interventions that make recovery harder.

The findings have caused a wave of shock among many patients who say they chose maternity services at the maternity units in Saint Mary’s Hospital, Wythenshawe Hospital and North Manchester General Hospital because they believed it to give excellent care. Saint Mary’s hospital chiefs, which provide the service given at each of the three units, have spoken of their ‘disappointment’ at the results, insisting they immediately began a ‘focused programme of improvements’, monitored closely by the watchdog which condemned the services after a series of inspections in March.

But, these reports cannot come as a surprise for many staff inside the NHS, particularly those working within midwifery and obstetrics. Underpinning each of these reports is the common thread of short staffing – and people within the field have been warning about those very same dangers for years.

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Maternity care in Manchester is suffering from not having enough midwives and doctors, and in turn, not having the right mix of senior and junior staff on daily and