The Government has been warned it will need to increase NHS capital spending after ‘unsuitable estates’ were ruled to be contributing to ‘widespread’ failings in maternity services.

A major review by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) revealed that failings in NHS maternity services are so ‘widespread’ they risk becoming ‘normalised’.

It found that dire care is ‘not isolated’ to high-profile scandals like East Kent and Shrewsbury and Telford, where hundreds of babies and mothers died or suffered preventable harms.

And it stressed that many trusts are not learning from mistakes, instead choosing to treat incidents as ‘inevitable’ rather than accepting accountability.

The CQC said two thirds of the services either ‘require improvement’ or are ‘inadequate’ for the safety of mothers and their babies.

In an unprecedented move, the regulator called for ‘increased national action’ and ring-fenced investment to tackle the shortfalls.

One area of concern in the report was around estates and the environment.

It states: “Unsuitable maternity estates emerged as another key barrier to high-quality care.

“We found some maternity units were not fit for purpose, as they lacked space and facilities and, in a small number of cases, appropriate levels of potentially life-saving equipment.

“Additional capital investment is needed to ensure women receive safe, timely care in an environment that meets their needs.”

Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, described the situation as a ‘national shame’ and vowed to fix services, insisting that the current state of affairs keeps him ‘awake at night worrying’.

He added: “These findings are cause for national shame.

“Women deserve better – childbirth should not be something they fear or look back on with trauma.

“It is simply unacceptable that nearly half of maternity units the CQC reviewed are delivering substandard care.”

NHS maternity care has been under increased scrutiny following several high-profile inquiries, including more than 200 baby deaths at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, and the investigation into maternity services in East Kent.

Inspectors visited 131 units between August 2022 and December 2023 as part of a national programme to reverse the trend.

The report also blamed poor management with limited learning when things go wrong, failure to ensure safe and timely assessment at triage, a lack of oversight from trust boards, and significant challenges in recruiting and retaining staff.

It concludes: “Without action, the danger is that poor care and preventable harm will become normalised.

“We cannot, and must not, let that happen.”