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Leeds maternity units downgraded to 'inadequate'

2025-06-20 08:00:06

During its December 2024 and January 2025 inspections, the CQC found official regulation breaches relating to risk management, safe environment, learning following incidents, infection prevention and control, medicines management and staffing.

Areas of concern highlighted in the maternity units at both hospitals included:

LTH provided evidence to the CQC showing it had reported 170 maternity "red flag incidents", indicating there had been staffing issues, between May and September 2024.

The CQC's findings also highlighted staffing concerns in neonatal services at both hospitals, with a shortage of qualified staff to care for babies with complex needs.

This coming autumn, the trust says 35 newly qualified midwives are due to start work and it has also appointed additional midwifery leadership roles.

The regulator will be monitoring the trust's services closely, including through further inspections - says the CQC's director in the north of England, Ann Ford - to make sure patients receive safe care while improvements are implemented.

"We would like to thank all those people who bravely shared their concerns," she said. "This helps us to have a better picture of the care being provided to people and to focus our inspection in the relevant areas."

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