THURROCK councillors have called on senior members of Basildon and Thurrock Hospital's management team to appear before them and explain how they plan to make the hospital's maternity services safer after a damning report from the Care Quality Commission.

Last month Thurrock Nub News reported on news of the inspectors' verdict which had been played down by the hospitals' management.

The maternity unit, where on average 370 babies are born each month, was given an inadequate rating after an unannounced focused inspection carried out by the CQC in June 2020.

Now the chair of Thurrock Council's health and well-being overview and scrutiny committee says the matter is of 'great concern' to the authority, councillors and borough residents and is expecting answers after inviting members of the Mid and South Essex Hospitals Trust to attend the committee's next meeting in November.

Cllr Shane Ralph says: "This is an issue of great concern to us and the borough's residents. Women going into Basildon's maternity unit will be concerned by reports they have seen about the unit following the CQC inspection.

"We have asked members of the hospital trust to attend our November meeting to outline what improvements they have made and will be making to reassure women that they can be confident to go to Basildon University Hospital to have their babies."

Following their inspection, the CQC issued a warning notice to the trust identifying the specific areas where improvements must be made. Their report recognised that improvements had been put in place and were ongoing. The improvement plan is being monitored on a weekly basis by the Clinical Commissioning Group, NHS England and the CQC.