Torbay hospital needs four more obstetricians to make maternity service safe, says regulator

An NHS trust has been told to hire more obstetric consultants after the health regulator found that a shortage of experienced doctors in its maternity service was exposing mothers and babies to a risk of avoidable harm.

The Care Quality Commission inspection rated the safety and leadership of maternity services at Torbay Hospital in Devon as requiring improvement after an inspection last November as part of its national maternity inspection programme.1 Inspectors found that there were not always enough obstetric medical staff deployed at the hospital, part of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, to keep women and babies safe. The report said that the service needed an extra four consultants, a requirement that was “being considered” by the trust, which always …