Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon has warned that concerns about maternity care are a real issue for local families, after polling commissioned by the Liberal Democrats found that three-quarters of UK adults are concerned about standards in NHS hospital maternity services.
The survey, conducted by Savanta for the Liberal Democrats, questioned 2,213 UK adults between 11 and 14 September 2026. It found that 75% were concerned about maternity care standards, including 35% who said they were very concerned and 40% who were fairly concerned.
The figures come against a backdrop of concerns about maternity safety in England. Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections conducted between 2022 and 2023 rated 18% of NHS maternity units as inadequate for safety and a further 47% as requiring improvement. No units received an outstanding safety rating during that period.
Concerns for local families
Mr Gordon said the condition of maternity services was a particular concern for families in Harrogate and Knaresborough, referring to the rating of maternity services in Leeds.
Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough:
The state of maternity services in this country is a scandal. Soon-to-be mums should be thinking about meeting their babies, not worrying whether the system around them is safe.
With the maternity services at Leeds deemed inadequate, this is a very real concern for families across Harrogate and Knaresborough.
The polling found that women were more likely than men to express concern about maternity care standards, with 79% of women concerned compared with 72% of men.
Concern was reported across all age groups. It was highest among adults aged 55 and over, at 78%, followed by those aged 35 to 54 at 76%. Among people aged 16 to 34, 71% said they were concerned.
Liberal Democrats call for maternity rescue package
The Liberal Democrats are calling for a maternity rescue package intended to improve safety across NHS maternity units in England. Their proposals include guaranteed one-to-one midwifery care for every mother, round-the-clock consultant presence on maternity wards and action to address the condition of maternity facilities.
The party says 40% of maternity units are in a state of major disrepair. It also criticised the Government after Labour MPs voted against a Liberal Democrat amendment calling for every maternity unit to be made safe, while Conservative MPs abstained.
Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrat health and social care spokesperson, said the polling reflected public concern about the safety of maternity services. She blamed years of Conservative Government neglect and called for urgent action to improve care.
Helen Morgan MP, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care Spokesperson
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.
The polling was commissioned by the Liberal Democrats and conducted online by Savanta. The results were weighted to be representative of the UK population by age, sex, region and social grade.
The CQC inspection figures cited by the party relate to assessments carried out between 2022 and 2023; they should not be interpreted as a current assessment of every maternity unit.