25 September 2026

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has now published its findings following its inspection of our maternity services across Queen Alexandra Hospital, St Mary’s Hospital and Gosport War Memorial Hospital.

The inspection found woman felt safe, well supported and well cared for by their midwifery and medical teams. It also highlighted our strong focus on individual preferences and how our staff went above and beyond to care for and ensure women and birthing people felt safe, supported and listened to. The inspectors also found a number of key areas that needed improvement, and because of this have downgraded the rating of maternity services from good to requires improvement.

Penny Emerit, Chief Executive of Isle of Wight NHS Trust and Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust said:

“Following their inspection earlier this year we have now received the CQC’s report on our maternity services. Inspectors highlighted women’s positive birthing experiences and the ways in which our midwives went above and beyond. The report also highlighted the care and compassion of our staff across all sites.

“Inspectors also highlighted some issues that we must address, including responding to operational pressures, ensuring safe staffing, reducing delays in care and compliance with safeguarding training.

“These issues are consistent with what we have heard from our staff through recent listening events. We accept the CQC’s findings and are determined to address the issues raised to ensure our services are resilient and meet the needs of the communities we serve. We already have improvement plans in place, and we will continue to work with women, birthing people, families and our staff to ensure these are implemented and fully reflect the improvements we need to make.

“I would like to thank our staff for their commitment and for the care they continue to provide. Our focus continues to be on ensuring our women and families have a positive experience and receive the best possible care.”

Further information

  • If anyone has any concerns about care they are receiving, they can contact the Trusts Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
  • Inspectors visited Gosport War Memorial Hospital, St Mary's Community Health Campus in Portsmouth, and Queen Alexandra Hospital in March 2026