Official: London has worst maternity care in the country

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More than seven in 10 are failing mothers, with some women having to give birth on dirty wards and being cared for by poorly trained staff. The Healthcare Commission also found that many new mothers were denied adequate care for their babies after leaving hospital.

The capital had the highest number of trusts where maternity provision was graded poor - 19 out of 27, or 70 per cent. Eight of the 10 worst trusts in the country were in London.

Not one of the capital's 27 hospital trusts was awarded a top rating.

The commission carried out the most comprehensive review ever of England's maternity care. Its research is based on feedback from 26,000 mothers.

It has now ordered failing trusts to provide it with action plans to improve care. Commission chief executive Anna Walker said antenatal and postnatal care in London was "consistently poorer".

She added: "There are a number of factors, such as lower staffing levels and the mobility and mix of population but London trusts need to rise to these challenges." Nationwide, more than a quarter of hospitals were awarded a top rating and just over a fifth were judged poor.

Newham came bottom of the London league. Joining it in the bottom 10 in the country were: Barking, Havering and Redbridge; Chelsea and Westminster; Homerton; Mayday in Croydon; Bromley; Bart's and the London, and St George's in Tooting.

Only Guy's and St Thomas' scored above average. NHS insiders argued the findings were unfair. They said some trusts had been penalised because they failed to respond to voluntary sections of the survey.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley blamed London's poor performance on midwife shortages. He said: "It is no coincidence that London trusts are the weakest or that low staffing levels mean poor services. The Government has not faced up to the need for more midwives to look after the rising number of births."

Health Secretary Alan Johnson today pledged an extra £122 million a year investment in maternity services over the next three years.