NHS maternity staff to receive mandatory training to improve patient safety

NHS training programme will focus on improving the skills and ability of maternity staff to reduce the number of avoidable brain injuries in babies. Photograph: UK Stock Images Ltd/Alamy

NHS maternity staff will take part in a mandatory training programme to improve patient safety after a damning report by the health regulator said that poor care and harm in childbirth was in danger of becoming “normalised”.

Obstetricians, midwives and obstetric anaesthetists at nine maternity units across England will all have to do extra training from Monday under government plans to raise care standards for women and babies. The scheme will be rolled out to every maternity unit in the country if the pilots are successful.