Vikki Slade, the Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, is leading the call for changes to maternity services in her constituency, including the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, following a Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating of ‘requires improvement’ earlier this year.
The Liberal Democrat proposals include 24/7 specialist doctors in every maternity unit and one-to-one midwifery care during labour, to ensure consistent safety at all hours.
Liberal Democrat MP Vikki Slade has launched a campaign for safer maternity care for families in Mid Dorset and North Poole, to end the crisis which has seen far too many mothers and babies let down. (Image: Vikki Slade)
Ms Slade said: “Every family deserves to feel safe when they go into hospital to have a baby.
“That means having the right staff in place at all times and making sure mothers get one-to-one care during labour.
“But too often that is not happening, and families are being let down.
“In previous engagements with mothers and mothers-to-be, I have heard concerns about the quality of support before, during and after giving birth.
“I believe these issues are widespread and took the opportunity to raise these concerns directly with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in January.
“Nationally, our NHS staff do an incredible job under pressure but too often they are overstretched and don’t have the support they need.
“Locally, Royal Bournemouth Hospital must set out clear plans to improve on this judgement for the benefit of mothers across Dorset.
“In short, we need to get more experienced staff, fix crumbling maternity units and ensure every mother and baby gets the care they deserve.”
Vikki Slade, the Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole. (Image: Vikki Slade)
The CQC inspection, carried out in September, was the first since maternity services moved to a new building at Royal Bournemouth Hospital.
While the service was rated ‘good’ for being effective, caring, and responsive, it was found to be ‘requires improvement’ in the areas of safety and well-led.
The Liberal Democrat plan also calls for capital investment to improve outdated and unsafe maternity facilities.
The party argues that improving safety and quality could also reduce NHS spending on maternal clinical negligence claims, which totalled over £1.3 billion in 2024.