A damning report has today laid bare the grim state of England’s maternity units, by naming those with alarmingly high number of baby deaths. 

The analysis listed seven NHS trusts that had reported infant mortality rates at least five per cent above the national average. 

The worst performing were Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

Both breached this threshold in five out of the seven years looked at during the investigation carried out by the Health Service Journal. 

They were followed by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, where bereaved parents earlier this year called for an inquiry over the preventable deaths of 56 babies.

There, higher than normal deaths were recorded in four out of the seven years. 

It comes just days after a separate alarming analysis named and shamed the NHS Trusts in England with the highest number of preventable birth injuries.

Manchester University Foundation NHS Trust may be the riskiest to give birth in—paying compensation to more new mothers than any other medical institution in England over the past two years, law firm Been Let Down revealed.

Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust were rated ‘red’ in five of the last seven years – the most of any in the country

These new figures were based on annual reports published by MBRRACE-UK, which reviews stillbirths and neonatal deaths but does not analyse if any of these are potentially preventable. 

In 2023, Sandwell logged a mortality rate of 4.98 per 1,000 births. By comparison, the average in its group was 4.05. 

Leeds, meanwhile, reported a rate of 5.34 deaths per 1,000 births against a 4.49 group average for trusts with level three neonatal intensive care and neonatal surgery – the highest level of medical care offered. 

Responding to the analysis, some trusts argued MBRRACE did not account for the fact they take births where the baby has a very low chance of survival because of a heart or other condition, for example.

Several of the seven trusts with the most ‘red’ ratings, including Sandwell, have very high deprivation and large non-English-speaking populations.

MBRRACE told HSJ its analysis ‘enables fairer comparisons between organisations of different sizes and populations’. 

It added: ‘We also adjust rates for key risk factors such as maternal age, socio-economic status, baby’s ethnicity, sex, multiple births, and gestational age.

‘However, some factors — such as maternal smoking and [body mass index] — are not universally collected and therefore cannot be included in the adjustment.’ 

In 2023, Sandwell logged a mortality rate of 4.98 per 1,000 births. By comparison, the average in its group was 4.05

Maternity problems have already been highlighted at some of the trusts by the regulator, the Care Quality Commission. 

Last year, Sandwell was served with a warning notice and rated ‘inadequate’ for safety and ‘requires improvement’ overall.

Bradford’s maternity unit—inspected in 2024 after whistleblowers raised safety concerns—is rated ‘requires improvement’ although its neonatal service was rated ‘outstanding’. 

Director of midwifery at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, Helen Hurst, today said: ‘We always ensure that a full investigation is carried out in this sad circumstance to ensure that the correct learning takes place as quickly as possible.

‘We have seen a notable reduction in neonatal deaths over the last year. 

‘In addition, a wider review into the increased rate was led by the Black Country Local Maternity and Neonatal System and identified several key recommendations and actions.

‘For high-risk pregnancies, this has led to early access to aspirin and senior clinician oversight, enhanced scrutiny, and external clinical experts to review perinatal mortality, all stillbirth scan images are peer reviewed by clinical experts and LMNS-wide training is in place to support the quality of the perinatal mortality reviews. 

‘As a result, stillbirth and neonatal death rates can be seen to be declining since January 2024 in locally held data.’

University Hospitals of Leicester deputy medical director Gang Xu said: ‘We are working hard to understand those factors we can influence to reduce our perinatal mortality to as low as possible.

‘This year, the stillbirth rate has improved in Leicester, and our overall mortality rate remains stable. All cases are reviewed thoroughly using a national tool, and we work closely with other centres to ensure robust, reflective reviews.’

Leeds Teaching Hospitals chief medical officer Magnus Harrison added: ‘We review the MBRRACE data on a very regular basis. 

‘We understand why this data will cause concern and although to date we have received assurances around these figures, we are continuing to review this with independent partners to understand it further.’

A spokesperson for the Royal Wolverhampton, meanwhile, said: ‘We are also working with other provider trusts within the Black Country, which see similar perinatal mortality rates, to address some of the health inequality issues that can drive poorer outcomes.’

 Liverpool Women’s medical director Chris Dewhurst added: ‘As a specialist hospital, we care for high-risk babies from across the North West and further afield, who need to be delivered at Liverpool Women’s Hospital because of significant problems identified during pregnancy and other factors.’

A Bradford Hospitals spokesperson also said: ‘We have built a robust mortality review process that engages families, other hospitals within the region and the neonatal network. 

‘The mortality data is regularly reviewed and presented at the safeguarding champion’s meeting. If there are any specific themes or issues identified, we conduct a ‘deep dive’ to establish if there are opportunities to learn and modify our current practice.’

Lindsay Rudge, executive director of nursing at Calderdale and Huddersfield, said: ‘We closely monitor our perinatal mortality rates, as part of our commitment to providing safe, high-quality care.’

A damning report into the ‘postcode lottery’ of NHS maternity care last May ruled good care is ‘the exception rather than the rule’. A hugely-anticipated parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma found pregnant women are being treated like a ‘slab of meat’ 

The HSJ analysis follows a litany of maternity failures including Shrewsbury and Telford and East Kent NHS Trusts, with a record number of services now failing to meet safety standards. 

In September, the CQC found two-thirds of services either ‘require improvement’ or are ‘inadequate’ for safety.

Frontline midwives have previously warned working in the NHS is like playing a ‘warped game of Russian roulette’, as there was a risk of harm or death at any time, partly due to ‘dangerously’ low staffing levels. 

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) suggests staff shortages and lack of funding is making it harder for midwives to deliver better quality services. 

The RCM’s latest calculation is that England is short of 2,500 midwives.

It also comes as another report into the ‘postcode lottery’ of NHS maternity care last May also ruled good care is ‘the exception rather than the rule’.  

A hugely-anticipated parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma, which heard evidence from more than 1,300 women, found pregnant women are being treated like a ‘slab of meat’. 

At the time, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins labelled testimonies heard in the report ‘harrowing’ and vowed to improve maternity care for ‘women throughout pregnancy, birth and the critical months that follow’.