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Almost half of all maternity wards across England shut their doors to expecting mothers last year due to lack of beds and staff, damning new figures show.

Hospitals in England temporarily shut their maternity wards to new admissions on 382 occasions in 2016 - up from 225 times in 2014.

They included the maternity unit at Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, which had to close 30 times in 2016 - more than once a fortnight on average - due to an “insufficient midwifery staffing for workload”.

Labour said the data shows that capacity issues and staff shortages were the main causes across the country.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “These findings show the devastating impact which Tory underfunding is having for mothers and children across the country.

(Image: Getty)

“It is staggering that almost half of maternity units in England had to close to new mothers at some point in 2016.

“The uncertainty for so many women just when they need the NHS most is unthinkable.

“Under this Government, maternity units are understaffed and under pressure.

“It’s shameful that pregnant women are being turned away due to staff shortages, and shortages of beds and cots in maternity units.”

The figures were uncovered through freedom of information requests to 136 hospital trusts with maternity units in England.

In total 42 (44%) out of the 96 trusts that responded to Labour’s requests said they had temporarily closed their doors on at least one occasion in 2016.

Other examples included the maternity unit at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which had to close for more than 30 hours on one occasion in February 2016 because of bed capacity and high activity.

And the maternity unit at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust closed on two occasions in 2014 because the lift broke down and there were “no lifts in the maternity unit to transfer patients”.

Midwifery leaders called for action to tackle “significant pressures” on maternity services across England, which face a shortage of around 3,500 full-time midwives.

Sean O’Sullivan, head of health and social policy at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said: “This latest research from the Labour Party comes as no surprise to the RCM and really further proves just how badly England’s maternity services are struggling due to understaffing.

“The RCM respects and supports decisions made to close maternity units when failing to do this will compromise the safety of the service and the women and babies already being cared for.

“Nevertheless, if units are regularly and persistently having to close their doors it suggests there is an underlying problem around capacity and staffing levels that needs immediate attention.”