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Walsall Manor Hospital maternity services improving following damning inspection

Failing maternity services at Walsall Manor Hospital have improved since a damning Care Quality Commission report earlier this year thanks to the recruitment of more midwives.

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The national recommendation is to operate at a ratio of 28 births per midwife but the hospital was running at 37 births to every midwife when inspectors visited last year.

But today Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust confirmed the rate is now at one midwife for every 31 births.

Births at Walsall Manor Hospital have already been capped to more than 4,500 this year meaning hundreds of mothers to be will be sent to neighbouring hospitals.

It comes after it was revealed infant morality in Walsall is still way above the national average because of deprivation in the borough.

Mr Amir Khan, Medical Director at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust said: "It is important to bear in mind that there are a number of wider factors affecting health during pregnancy, including smoking and stress, and we work with GPs and public health teams to tackle these where we can.

"We have increased our midwifery staffing levels and for the foreseeable future, reduced the number of births, in order to make our services safer for women to have their baby."

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