Media Release: Maternity Inspection report Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

“During our inspection we observed kind and respectful care from staff towards women and their families. Student midwives also described a friendly and supportive learning environment.

“We also observed the use of positive birth language within the service, which contributes to a supportive and positive experience for women.

“However, during our inspection, women told us of varied experiences of maternity care within the hospital. Staff described concerns about a lack of civility between different teams within the service due to the consistent pressure for transfers of patients at times of high demand. They also described a disconnect between staff delivering care and senior managers awareness and oversight of the reality of daily pressures within maternity services.

“On the first day of the inspection we identified concerns relating to general cleanliness of ward areas, poor compliance with some infection prevention control processes, fire safety regulations, medicines management and emergency equipment checks. These concerns were raised with senior managers, and immediate actions were taken to address them.

“We also wrote to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to highlight our concerns and seek further assurances and returned on 16 February to assess progress against the issues raised during our initial onsite inspection.

“During this return visit we observed some improvements in the cleanliness of the environment and care equipment as well as emergency equipment checks. However, we identified further areas for improvement, including the management and oversight of incident reporting.

“Staff also raised concerns regarding midwifery skill mix impacting on the ability to provide safe care and many told inspectors they were unable to take breaks because of work pressures.

“As a result of continued lack of assurance in relation to governance and oversight of patient safety and the impact on the safe delivery of care, we escalated these concerns to the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Chief Executive and advised Scottish Government.”

“In response to Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Neonatal Mortality Review in 2024, we made a commitment to expanding our Safe Delivery of Care inspection approach to include inpatient maternity services. The maternity inspections will provide women, and families with an assessment of the quality of care provided by their local maternity service and an independent review of any required improvements.

“The Healthcare Improvement Scotland Maternity Care Standards, published on 23 March 2026, set out national expectations for the delivery of safe, effective and person‑centred maternity care across all settings, including midwifery units, community and home settings, hospitals, primary care and prisons. All health boards have been formally advised that the Maternity Care Standards will be incorporated into maternity inspections from Monday, 21 September 2026 onwards.“