DORSET County Hospital has higher-than-expected rates of stillbirths and neonatal death, a new report suggests.

Hospitals with higher-than-expected perinatal mortality - stillbirths and deaths after up to 28 days of life - have been highlighted in the new MBRRACE-UK (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquires across the UK) report.

Experts grouped broadly similar organisations together by their type and size to compare mortality rates.

After examining UK perinatal deaths for births from January to December 2015, they came up with a traffic light system to highlight those where action needs to be taken to improve outcomes.

Of 165 NHS trusts and health boards across Britain, 21 of 165 (12.7 per cent) have been labelled as "red" - meaning that they have a mortality rate which is over 10% greater than the average for that type of organisation.

The authors of the report have called on these organisations to investigate the possible causes behind the higher rates.

Michel Hooper-Immins, an elected public governor of Dorset County Hospital Foundation Trust (DCHFT), said: “Statistics often tell only part of the story. In my opinion, we need to ensure that mothers continue to be cared for at Dorchester and not be sent off to Bournemouth, Poole or Yeovil. I join our patients in expressing every confidence in DCH’s maternity services, much praised by local mothers.”

A spokesperson for Dorset County Hospital said: “DCHFT are committed to the national initiative and are signed up to the Maternity Safety Bundle, which focuses upon reducing smoking in pregnancy, highlighting the importance of baby’s movements, monitoring baby’s heartbeat accurately and using a customised chart to plot baby’s growth during pregnancy.

“DCHFT support women to choose the care they want during their pregnancy, labour and birth. Women in labour at DCHFT are guaranteed 1:1 midwife care, with immediate access to an obstetrician when required, with those with complex pregnancies planning their care with their named consultant obstetrician.”

Overall, researchers found that the rate of stillbirth in the UK reduced by 8 per cent between 2013 to 2015.

In 2015, the stillbirth rate was 3.87 per 1,000 total births, a fall from 4.20 per 1,000 total births in 2013.

But the authors said that despite the fall, UK stillbirth rates still remain high compared with many similar European countries and there remains "significant variation" across Britain.