While many families receive good care, the damning report exposes deep problems around workplace culture, communication and whether patients are being listened to
The independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation has raised serious concerns about maternity services at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, including Yeovil Hospital, which serves many families across North Dorset. While acknowledging that many parents receive excellent care, investigators found evidence of bullying, poor workplace culture, staff burnout and families feeling their concerns were dismissed.
Imagine giving birth in a hospital department where staff have to discuss the weather forecast at every handover because heavy rain can cause the ceiling to leak.Or where a group of consultants refused to work in a neighbouring hospital when their department was temporarily closed?
Or you were treated differently and judged based on your ethnicity?
These aren’t stories from a distant hospital trust. They’re much closer to home: Taunton and Yeovil. The report raises serious concerns about the culture, the conditions in which people are working, and the care given to women and families.
Bullying and not listening
Yeovil hit the headlines in May 2025 when the neonatal and inpatient maternity services were closed for safety reasons. Expectant mothers requiring inpatient care had to travel to Taunton or Dorchester. There were major concerns over the potential of a local service. While significant improvements were made to get the unit reopened in April this year, the latest report raises questions about leadership and culture. Some midwives and neonatal staff described feeling unsupported by medical colleagues, having no backup, and being so busy they were unable to take breaks or even get to the loo.
The report includes claims of a culture of racism and bullying in the department. It says a group of obstetric consultants at Yeovil chose not to relocate to Musgrove Park when inpatient services were temporarily closed, which meant they weren’t doing clinical obstetric work.
In another example, a staff member was told they were the ‘diversity hire’. Staff were scared to speak up when something was wrong. The investigation heard allegations that some staff had effectively been bullied out of their jobs after raising concerns.
However there were also maternity staff who were tearful because all they wanted to do was provide the best care to the patients. One staff member, when interviewed, said:
‘We’ve all raised our concerns, and I do feel like we get to a certain level and then no one listens above. And I worry about that.’
Families interviewed by the review team said they were not listened to or were dismissed when they raised concerns about bleeding, or other issues, when they should o hat concerns, for example about bleeding, getting to hospital or other issues.
A rural reach
Another of the concerns raised was the rural nature of the catchment area around these hospitals. In particular, when women question whether they should come into the hospital in the early stages of labour, the distance they have to travel and the time required could be underestimated, leading to delayed attendances and affecting the safety of the delivery.
The findings also raise wider questions about whether national maternity guidance adequately reflects the realities of rural counties, where travelling to hospital can take considerably longer than in urban areas.
Taken as a whole, the report paints a picture of a department where poor workplace culture had been allowed to develop over a number of years and highlights the need for strong leadership and effective management to rebuild confidence among both staff and patients.
Dorset Life asked Somerset Integrated Care Board, as the commissioning body, what it was doing to ensure services are adjusted for rural distances and to call the executive leadership to account. A spokesperson replied: ‘The Independent Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services report is a very upsetting read and we would like to thank all those who contributed to it by sharing their experiences. We will take the time to carefully consider its findings.
‘We fully acknowledge the strength of local feeling about maintaining accessible, high-quality maternity care close to home.
‘Our priority is to ensure that every family receives personalised high-quality, and compassionate care.’
On reading the report, Adam Dance, MP for Yeovil said: ‘My first thoughts were with the families who have lost a baby or had a poor experience. This report makes for difficult reading, and some of its findings are deeply concerning. Every family has the right to expect safe, compassionate maternity care, and where that has not happened, there must be accountability and real change. The findings on organisational culture are particularly worrying. Every member of staff should feel supported to raise concerns, and every patient should know their voice matters.
‘At the same time, the report is clear that frontline midwives, doctors, nurses and support staff are working under immense pressure. They deserve our thanks, and they deserve the support, leadership and resources they need to provide the safe care they want to deliver.’
Leadership is critical
When reports like this are published, revealing insights into the culture of a department, it inevitably raises questions about how and why these cultural problems were allowed to persist for so long – and whether earlier intervention could have prevented some of the issues.
A spokesperson for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘Our teams have done a huge amount of work to improve maternity and neonatal services and to provide safe, compassionate care to the women, babies, children and families we care for – but we have more work to do. We are committed to being open and transparent and are continuing to work closely with senior national and regional partners.’
NHS Somerset said: ‘We are working hard to improve teamworking across our maternity services to create a consistent standard. All clinicians are expected to complete mandatory training sessions to meet clinical standards.’
Improving the maternity service in Yeovil is critical.
Adam Dance said: ‘The first step is being open and honest about the challenges and showing that real action is being taken. I welcome the reopening of inpatient maternity services at Yeovil Hospital, but local families need confidence that the issues which led to the temporary closure have been fully addressed.
‘The Trust must continue listening to women and families, support its staff, and make sure concerns are acted on quickly. I’ll continue working with the Trust and ministers to make sure these recommendations lead to real improvements, because every mother deserves safe, compassionate care and every baby deserves the best possible start in life.’
Yeovil remains the nearest maternity unit for many families in North Dorset, so the findings of this national review are particularly relevant locally. The investigation recognises that the vast majority of families receive safe and compassionate care, and praises frontline staff working under immense pressure.
But its findings suggest that improving buildings and staffing alone will not be enough. The report concludes that lasting improvements will also depend on stronger leadership, a better workplace culture – and ensuring that the concerns of women and families are listened to.
Click here to read the full National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation report
