More than half of maternity units inspected in the last year - including across the North East - are failing.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has inspected 89 NHS maternity units so far in 2023 - and our new interactive map shows how your nearest unit compares. Of those inspected in the last twelve months, 32 - including at the RVI in Newcastle, and Sunderland Royal - have been rated as requires improvement.

Meanwhile 14 - including at University Hospital of North Durham and Darlington Memorial - have been rated inadequate. However, units at Gateshead's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington, Hexham General Hospital have all gained good ratings.

• Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from the North East with our free newsletter
• Read more: MPs hit out at Government dropping promise to reform 'Victorian' Mental Health Act

Overall 52% of recently inspected maternity units are considered substandard. But just three are considered “outstanding” - West Middlesex University Hospital, St Mary's Hospital, and Queen Charlottes and Chelsea Hospital, all in London.

Due to the nature of the data collection process, the map includes outdated ratings at some locations which do not currently offer maternity services - such as North Tyneside or Wansbeck hospitals.. Explore the ratings for all maternity units below:

The CQC began a new maternity inspection programme in August 2022 to help maternity services improve. This came after the Ockenden review into the Shropshire maternity scandal, which tragically saw 300 babies left dead or brain damaged due to inadequate care.

Earlier this year, in response to their poor ratings, hospital bosses at the trusts in question told ChronicleLive how they were seeking to improve. In Newcastle, hospital bosses said they did not think the report was a "fair reflection" of the service - and highlighted "many positive findings" also in the report. Medical director Andy Welch even said he was confident enough that he'd not want family members born anywhere else.

In Sunderland, bosses said they were "accelerating improvements already underway", though chief executive Ken Bremner said there were "no excuses". At the County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust, chief executive Sue Jacques said: "We are of course very disappointed with the CQC's rating for our maternity services.

"We take the concerns raised during the inspection extremely seriously and would like to assure all our birthing people and families that we are absolutely committed to providing you with the best care and experience at this special time in your lives." She said improvements were already underway.

So far, 83 NHS acute hospital maternity services have been given a rating under the programme, although several others have been rated during that time as part of the CQC’s regular inspections. The CQC have also recently released their latest “State of care” report, which paints a worrying picture of the state of maternity services across the UK.

However, that report also highlighted Hexham Hospital's midwife-led maternity unit as an example of best practice. But the report found continued staffing pressures, ongoing concerns with the quality of care across some services, and continued concerns around inequalities in access and experience when using maternity services.

Across the country, staff regularly state they are overworked, exhausted and stressed, and cost of living pressures are adding further challenge to the recruitment and retention of staff, the report stated.

Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “This report paints a sadly familiar picture. There are challenges supporting midwifery leaders, poor communication with women and their families and many unfilled vacancies. This is on top of long waiting times, anxious patients and demoralised staff. At the heart of the problem are staff shortages and the struggle to recruit and retain staff. This is impacting patient care.

“Despite numerous warnings, and the raft of policy initiatives and programmes in recent years, maternity care ratings are getting worse. This is not a reflection of the people that work in maternity services, far from it. They are dedicated, compassionate and working long hours, including unpaid overtime to support women and their families.

“Instead the findings expose the legacy of a continued lack of investment in maternity services. More must be done urgently to retain staff and train new ones to ease the burden on overworked midwives and maternity support workers."

In response to the report, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director, said: “While the NHS has made improvements to maternity services over the last decade with fewer stillbirths and neonatal deaths, the NHS is also increasing investment to £186 million annually to grow our maternity workforce, strengthen leadership and improve culture, and working closely with select hospitals to ensure they make the necessary changes following recent maternity reviews, to ensure safer, more personalised and more equitable maternity care.”