We Must Raise the Standard of Maternity Care

Bringing a child into the world should be one of the safest and most supported moments in any family’s life.

But for too many families across the country, and here in Newbury and West Berkshire, that is simply not the case.

I have spoken before about the need to raise standards in maternity care, and sadly the situation remains deeply concerning.

Nationally, the picture is stark. Research has shown that 73% of maternity units in England do not have a consultant present overnight, despite the fact that most births happen outside standard working hours.

At the same time, the cost of failures in maternity care is rising sharply. NHS spending on maternity-related clinical negligence claims reached over £1.3 billion in 2024 alone.

Behind these figures are real families, people who have experienced avoidable trauma at what should be a joyful time.

Here in our area, services at the Royal Berkshire Hospital and the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital continue to face significant pressure. Staff are working incredibly hard, but they are too often overstretched and asked to do more with less.

That is why I am backing a clear plan to improve maternity care, one that focuses on safety, staffing, and standards.

This includes:

• Ensuring 24/7 consultant cover on every maternity unit

• Guaranteeing one-to-one midwifery care during labour 

• Investing in facilities to bring all units up to “good” or “outstanding” standards

  
  

It should not be more dangerous to give birth at night or at the weekend than at any other time.

We also need to tackle the wider issues affecting our NHS, from workforce shortages to the condition of hospital buildings, which we know are impacting care locally.

Our NHS staff are extraordinary. Midwives, doctors and support teams go above and beyond every single day. But they cannot continue to carry this level of risk without the backing they deserve.

Every family in Newbury and West Berkshire deserves to feel safe when they walk into a maternity unit.

That means having the right staff, the right facilities, and the right standards in place, every hour of every day.