A public engagement survey has been opened into the quality of maternity services and newborn care in north east London.

NHS North East London (NEL) today (July 16) asked people for their views on the care they receive.

The health and care partnership serves more than two million people in Barking and Dagenham, the City of London, Hackney, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

It comes after NHS NEL has published a report – Best Start in Life: The Case for Change – outlining how services work, how it expects local needs to change, and identifying areas where there may be opportunities to do things better or differently in the future.

Chineze Otigbah, NEL local maternity and neonatal system chair, said: "It's clear from our report that our maternity and neonatal services across north east London face a number of challenges.

"If we continue doing what we're currently doing, we won't have enough capacity available in the places where care needs to be delivered in the future," she added.

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Higher birth rates, more complicated pregnancies, health inequalities and a lack of neonatal beds in north east London were among issues identified in the report.

NHS NEL has invited people across the boroughs it serves to complete its online survey by 11.59pm on September 8.

You can access the survey via www.surveymonkey.com/r/VM8CBWG.