References
Safeguarding mothers and babies
Abstract
Carla Avery and colleagues discuss the urgent reforms needed in maternity services, based on the Care Quality Commission's maternity services report
The Care Quality Commission's (CQC, 2024) maternity services report in 2022–2024 marked a critical juncture in evaluating the state of maternity services across England. With increasing scrutiny on patient safety, quality of care and the wellbeing of mothers and babies, the report highlighted pressing concerns and areas for improvement. This article provides a critical commentary on the report's findings, with a particular focus on patient safety, leadership, workforce disparities, mental health and actions that can be taken to address these issues. We use the terms ‘woman’ and ‘women’ to reflect the identities of the majority accessing maternity services, while acknowledging that individuals of diverse gender identities may also require these services.
One of the foremost concerns in the CQC (2024) report was patient safety, where the need for systemic improvements in maternity units was evident. The report documented inconsistencies in care quality and highlighted issues in staffing and expertise as major risk factors. Inadequate staffing, specifically midwifery shortages, remains a longstanding issue, putting pressure on existing teams, limiting personalisation in care and sometimes causing critical delays in intervention during labour and birth (Baby Loss and Maternity All Party Parliamentary Groups, 2022).
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