Hospital trust wants baby unit restrictions removed

Six of the 13 restrictions placed on the trust have now been removed, the trust said

The trust in charge of Derby and Burton hospitals has asked the health watchdog to remove restrictions put on its maternity services after they were rated inadequate.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) served University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust (UHDB) with eight Section 31 notices following inspections at the Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Hospital Burton in 2023 and a further five in 2024.

UHDB said the CQC had now removed six of the eight restrictions it received in 2023 and the trust had made applications to remove the rest.

Data shows the mortality rate for newborns at both hospitals has been below the NHS average for more than 12 months.

'Working at pace'

In 2023 the CQC identified major failings in maternity services at both hospitals and ordered the trust to urgently update training, improve cleanliness and ensure safe levels of staffing.

The commission utilised Section 31 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, which gives it the power to urgently alter or remove conditions of registration.

Since then the trust said it had been "working hard" to improve the quality of care and experience for women and babies through a dedicated improvement programme

It said compliance against Saving Babies Lives, an evidence-based national maternity safety ambition had improved from 33% in September 2023 to 86% in June 2025.

Sarah Noble, UHDB's director of midwifery, said: "While we know from our own safety data and from our engagement with women and families that we have made improvements, we are not complacent and are absolutely committed to continuing this work at pace."

The watchdog raised concerns about care at the Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Hospital Burton in 2023

UHDB said the Section 31 restrictions from 2023 which had now been removed by the CQC were for effective system of fetal monitoring, fetal monitoring training and compliance, fresh eyes implementation, clinical skills training compliance, rates of haemorrhage and appropriate senior support.

The remaining two conditions from 2023 it has applied to have removed are assessment and management haemorrhage and audit and governance of haemorrhage.

Meanwhile the five conditions still in place from 2024 are co-ordinated care approach to maternity, visible effective medical leadership, birth centre neonatal equipment accessible and effective process for handovers of care and induction of labour.