A recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found that women and babies at the newly opened maternity unit at Royal Bournemouth Hospital were exposed to a risk of avoidable harm. The service – part of the Birth, Emergency, Critical Care and Child Health (BEACH) building – opened just six months before the September inspection and was designed to support around 4,400 births a year.
The CQC rated the maternity unit as “requires improvement”, noting that several aspects of care were not consistently safe and that leaders did not always have a clear understanding of the risks being faced by women using the service.
Findings from the CQC inspection
The inspectors reported that some women waited hours or even days for induction of labour, causing avoidable distress and increasing the likelihood of intervention. Staff shortages, high sickness rates and gaps in the rota placed additional pressure on the service, making it difficult for midwives to provide timely support.
Elective caesarean sections were also cancelled due to staffing and limited theatre capacity, causing “uncertainty and increasing anxiety” for expectant mothers. The CQC stated that there were not enough maternity staff to ensure women and babies were kept safe.
Despite these issues, the service met all ten standards for fetal monitoring during labour. The CQC also highlighted examples of specialist midwives providing support to vulnerable women, consultant obstetricians being present for complex births, and “positive interactions” between staff and patients. Women told inspectors they were treated with care and compassion.
Response from University Hospitals Dorset
University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) stated that it made “immediate improvements” following the CQC visit, including updating the newborn security policy and removing the cameras. The Trust said it continues to identify better ways of working in the new unit to ensure safe and timely care.
UHD welcomed the CQC’s findings that the service is “good” for being effective, caring and responsive. Families reported being treated with kindness, valued the privacy of their own rooms, and appreciated that partners could now stay overnight – an improvement on previous arrangements at Poole Hospital. The Trust also pointed to strong multidisciplinary working between midwives and doctors.
The CQC confirmed that it will keep the service under close review and will reinspect it to monitor progress.
Enable Law’s perspective on maternity care in Dorset
Enable Law has recently acted for a family following the death of their baby in Dorset. After Alex Barr’s daughter, Marnie, was stillborn, Enable Law lawyer Jennifer Janes supported the family through the legal process and obtained independent medical evidence showing that shortcomings in Alex’s care led to Marnie’s death.
Speaking about the latest CQC findings, Jenny Janes said:
“These findings are deeply concerning, particularly as this is a brand‑new maternity unit that families were told would offer safer, more modern care. When women face delays, staff shortages and inconsistent triage, it creates avoidable risk at a time when they should feel protected and supported.
What we see time and again in our work is that maternity failures are rarely isolated incidents. They are often the result of wider cultural and systemic pressures. These are problems that cannot be fixed by frontline staff alone. The CQC’s findings suggest that these pressures are already affecting the BEACH unit, despite its recent opening.
“We hope this report leads to immediate and sustained action. Families in Dorset deserve absolute confidence that the care they receive during pregnancy and birth will be safe, compassionate and timely. No parent should experience the trauma of avoidable harm, and it is essential that lessons are learned now to prevent further heartbreak for other families.”
Enable Law continues to support families affected by failures in maternity care, advocating for safer services, transparency and lasting improvements in NHS maternity units.
How Enable Law can support you
If you are concerned about the maternity care you or your baby received, our specialist team is here to help. We offer free, confidential initial discussions with no obligation to proceed.
To talk to Jennifer Janes or one of our experts, call us on 0800 044 8488 or fill in our contact form so we can call you back at a time convenient to you.
