The Care Quality Commission has rated maternity services at Croydon as requires improvement.
It says its focused inspection was carried out to follow up on concerns about long waiting times in maternity triage.
Poor communication from staff, and staff shortages particularly in medical cover, were also relayed.
The CQC has served the trust a warning notice due to concerns about a number of issues including triage, and leadership and governance.
Inspectors have downgraded the overall rating for maternity services at Croydon from good to requires improvement.
A spokesperson from Croydon Health Services NHS Trust said:
“Following the CQC inspection of our maternity services last year as well as noting the positive aspects, we acknowledge the findings in their recent report and are working hard to make improvements in the areas where our maternity service may have not met the high standards that women and families expect and deserve.
“Over the past six months there are several areas where we have already taken proactive action, including introducing a dedicated maternity phone line to support our triage service, and accelerating improvements to our induction of labour processes. We are also continuing to recruit staff, strengthen training, and further improve our communication with those we care for.
“The report also highlighted our HEARD Campaign as an especially positive Trust initiative aimed at improving outcomes for pregnant women from black, Asian and global minority ethnic backgrounds using our service. Along with this our well led and caring ratings remained at good, showing stability in these areas and giving us a strong foundation on which build to ensure a positive and compassionate experience for the women and babies we care for every day.”
