Three in four Brits fear for NHS maternity safety as Lib Dems call on Burnham to end ‘national scandal’ of poor care

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

A damning new poll commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed that 75% of the public are concerned about hospital birth standards following damning safety inspection ratings. Women are overwhelmingly concerned (79%) as zero NHS maternity units in England achieved an ‘Outstanding’ safety rating and two thirds of units are unsafe. The Liberal Democrats are now demanding an emergency rescue package to deliver 1-1 midwifery for every mother and restore confidence for expectant parents.

Three-quarters of the British public are concerned about the standard of NHS maternity care in England, as new polling exposes the human cost of long-term Conservative neglect across the health service.

These new figures, compiled by Savanta for the Liberal Democrats, show that years of Conservative neglect and declining safety has left Brits fearful about the conditions they will give birth in.

The polling follows Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections between 2022 and 2023 which found that two-thirds of NHS maternity units in England were rated either ‘Requires Improvement’ (47%) or ‘Inadequate’ (18%) for safety. Not a single maternity unit in the country achieved an ‘Outstanding’ rating for safety.

The survey of 2,213 UK adults reveals:

• 75% of adults are concerned about maternity care standards in NHS hospitals, including 35% who are "very concerned" and 40% who are "fairly concerned". Just 15% expressed no concern.
• Women are significantly more likely than men to fear for maternity safety (79% vs 72%), while men were twice as likely to say they were unconcerned (20% vs 11%).
• Worry spans all age brackets, peaking among those aged 55 and over (78%) and those aged 35–54 (76%), alongside 71% of 16-to-34-year-olds.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for every maternity unit to be brought up to ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ levels of safety through a maternity rescue package that guarantees 1-1 midwifery for every mother, 24/7 consultant presence on wards and fixes the 40% of units in a state of major disrepair.

Last month MPs voted on a Liberal Democrat amendment that would have required every unit be made safe. Labour voted down the proposal, with the Conservatives abstaining, in a move the Royal College of Midwives described as “a blow for maternity safety”.

Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care Spokesperson, Helen Morgan MP, said:

“The last Conservative Government neglected maternity services even as the scandal of unsafe care grew worse and worse. It’s no wonder that a significant majority of Brits are fearful about the conditions mothers are having to give birth in.

"This is the reality of years of Conservative underfunding – a world-leading health service has been reduced to conditions where a mother cannot even feel confident bringing a baby into the world in today’s Britain. Andy Burnham should listen to mums and take a new approach that guarantees one-to-one care.

“It is a national disgrace that two-thirds of maternity units were found unsafe by inspectors. Mothers and hard-working midwives and doctors have been utterly failed. We need urgent action so no family has to go through childbirth in fear , and trust in the NHS can be restored. Liberal Democrats won’t rest until Britain is the safest place in the world to have a baby.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. First covered by The Mirror 
2. Savanta interviewed 2,213 UK adults online between 11th and 14th September 2026. Data were weighted to be representative of the UK by age, sex, region, and social grade.
3. Between 2022 and 2023, Care Quality Commission inspections found 47% of NHS maternity units in England rated ‘Requires Improvement’ and 18% rated ‘Inadequate’ for safety. 35% were rated ‘Good’ and 0% were rated ‘Outstanding’.
4. Full Polling Results (Q1: Level of concern regarding NHS hospital maternity care standards):
   • Very concerned: 35%
   • Fairly concerned: 40%
   • Not very concerned: 12%
   • Not at all concerned: 4%
   • Don’t know: 9%
   • NET Concerned: 75%
   • NET Not concerned: 15%