A lack of mental health support has left hospital staff in distress as they care for newborn babies at a short-staffed NHS trust.
Concerns were raised after an external review was carried out into neonatal services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH).
It found staffing levels did not meet the required standards during a visit to Leeds General and St James’s hospitals in July.
The review was carried out after maternity services at the hospitals were already downgraded to “inadequate” in a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report.
A further CQC report published on Wednesday this week criticised leadership standards and said some staff told of being subjected to “racist and bullying behaviours.”
The separate NHS review of neonatal critical care raised concerns including the closure of cots at St James’s University Hospital (SJUH).
In a letter to the trust, NHS England said: “This has significantly compromised overall capacity at SJUH and is having a wider impact across the network.”
LTH said cot closures were requested as part of the earlier CQC inspection.
The letter said neonatal staff were suffering from rising levels of burn-out and “moral distress”.
It said: “Staff are frequently exposed to emotionally demanding situations, and without appropriate mental health resources, their ability to cope diminishes over time.”
Concerns were raised over a shortage of allied healthcare professionals (AHPs) due to “persistent underfunding”.
The neonatal team was also helping to look after patients in the trust’s paediatric service due to under-staffing there.
LTH chief medical officer Magnus Harrison said a review of AHP staffing levels had already been carried out.
He said: “We are also reviewing the psychological support available to the neonatal team, and auditing the frequency and impact of registered nurse redeployment to and from the neonatal unit.”
Dr Harrison said the reviewers were impressed by compassionate care and respect among staff in the team.
Another maternity report showed a decline in patient feedback scores when asked if they would recommend the hospitals to friends and family.
That report said: “During August 2025 there was a significant increase in negative ratings for birth.”
Director of midwifery Rukeya Miah said: “More than 90 per cent of our feedback for births is positive, but of course even one poor experience is one too many.
“We are looking forward to welcoming more than 60 new midwives between now and the end of the year and this will help strengthen our service.”
