An NHS report claims that changes to maternity care in north west London have resulted in improvements - but a campaign group has blasted it as "desperate".

In a report titled Review of the North West London (NWL) maternity and neonatal service transition of July 2015, improvements have been listed after 103 women completed a survey.

The mothers were asked questions relating to changes under Shaping a Healthier Future (SaHF), including the closure of the Ealing Hospital maternity unit in July last year.

The NWL Collaboration of Clinical Commissioning Groups led report claims that 100 new midwives have been recruited due to the changes.

An improved midwife to birth ratio, senior consultant cover and delivering postnatal care closer to homes were also highlighted.

The report reads: "This maternity review has found that the changes have been made safely and patients are now seeing improvements to their care.

"NW London has managed a complex service change safely and with clear benefits to patients, mothers and their babies.

"Furthermore the majority of women who had their care transferred felt supported and well communicated with".

But the report did say that a "number of midwives" commented that their workload had increased because of the transition.

'Marking their own exam papers'

The closure of the maternity ward in Ealing means that other hospitals in north west London had to plan for 3,000 more deliveries per year, with the majority heading to West Middlesex or Hillingdon Hospital.

It is claimed all hospitals are fit to cope, but the report does warn that Northwick Park could be over-capacity - warning it needs an "urgent review" - but bosses have claimed current figures do not indicate a need for this.

Of the 103 women who were surveyed, 33 of them were from Southall - where the former Ealing Hospital maternity ward was located.

A total of 75% said they were happy with the care they had received but 36%, compared to the 19% of overall survey respondents, said it had become harder for them to attend their antenatal or postnatal appointments.

However the report has been blasted by campaign group Ealing Save Our NHS, who claim it is misleading.

Eve Turner, from Ealing Save Out NHS, said: "Local Health bosses are marking their own exam papers again, desperately trying to pretend their awful programme of cuts and closures is successful.

"Their tiny survey of mothers covered very few women from Southall which is the most affected area.

"Amazingly it didn't even include questions about the quality of the Maternity service received.

"There are other concerns including some Ealing mums saying they are treated as second class in the alternative hospitals".

The report was undertaken by an independent researcher and reviewed by an expert midwife and independent healthcare adviser

Last month (May 18), it was confirmed that Ealing Hospital's children's ward is set to close.