Poll shows three quarters of Britons uneasy about NHS maternity safety standards

A Survation poll of 2,213 adults shows that 75% of respondents are uneasy about NHS maternity care standards, with 35% describing their concern as very high. These anxieties arise after Care Quality Commission inspections in 2022-2023 found that 47% of English maternity units required improvement and 18% were rated inadequate, with no unit achieving an outstanding safety rating. Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, the party’s health and social spokesperson, demanded an emergency rescue package that would provide one-to-one midwifery for every mother, criticizing years of Conservative underfunding.

The Department of Health and Social Care highlighted a £271 million funding boost since April 2025, the extension of Martha’s Rule to all maternity wards, and the creation of England’s first statutory Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner to oversee reforms. Recent incidents, including babies being born in ambulances and a tragic death after a mother travelled to Exeter, have intensified public pressure for swift action.