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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Denis Campbell Health policy editor

How a Romford maternity ward was able to turn the tide after a ‘requires improvement’ rating

A female obstetrician assisted by two people during a planned caesarean section
Dr Kathryn Tompsett, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and clinical group director assisting during the planned caesarean section in Queen’s hospital maternity ward in Romford on 1 June 2026. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

Two days after giving birth, Juliana Nascimento Barbosa is still ecstatic about becoming a mother. “I’m so happy to have my baby,” she says from her bed in Queen’s hospital in Romford, Essex, smiling broadly.

To her left, her husband, Emerson, sits on a chair. To her right, their newborn son Dominic lies on a neonatal resuscitaire receiving phototherapy, a light treatment to help relieve his jaundice.

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