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The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has demanded improvements to maternity services run by South Tees NHS Foundation Trust, where serious staff shortages often require the standalone midwifery led birthing unit to close.
The unit, at Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, and the main maternity services at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, both require improvements overall and in their leadership, and the James Cook service must improve its safety, the regulator said.12
The inspection took place last August as part of the CQC’s national maternity services inspection programme, which has revealed shortcomings in the quality and safety of services across England.
Inspectors noted that there was no birthing pool and …
