Maternity care safety

Calls to improve standards ensuring safety on maternity wards have been made after a report found them to be lacking.

The study by the King's Fund thinktank says the overwhelming majority of care for women giving birth in the UK is safe.

But it warned that there are growing pressures on maternity services and said a range of practical improvements are necessary to ensure a systemic approach to safety.

The report says trust boards need to place a greater focus on safety and reduce the number of different guidelines that staff are "overburdened" by.

It also claims there are often inadequate numbers of staff with the right skills on duty.

"Maternity services are fortunate to have a dedicated workforce, but I believe they could work in ways that are less burdensome for them and would, on balance, be safer for mothers and babies," said Professor Onora O'Neill, president of the British Academy and chair of the inquiry.

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