Hospital bosses in Wiltshire say their maternity services are safe after a television programme highlighted the number of births that midwives have to deal with exceeds recommended levels.

According to the figures from BBC One’s Panorama NHS Wiltshire had a ratio of 43.53 births per midwife placing it the fourth highest in the UK, while Great Western Hospital in Swindon, was sixth highest with a ratio of 41.54.

To provide a safe maternity service the Royal College of Midwives says there should be an average midwife to birth ratio of one midwife for every 28 births.

GWH took over the running of maternity services from NHS Wiltshire last month and it disputes the figures by Panorama.

A spokesman for GWH said their information shows a ratio of 31.3 in Wiltshire while at GWH it is 37 to 40.

Midwife led maternity services in Wiltshire include the units at Chippenham Hospital, Trowbridge Birthing Centre and the Princess Anne Wing at the Royal United Hospital, Bath.

The spokesman said: “We have the right number of midwives for the level of funding we receive. We do have to take into account that this may not always be possible and therefore we need to have systems in place that mean services are delivered safely with the resources we have available.

“We have invested heavily in additional midwives over the past four years and continue to recruit to posts.

“Mothers should be reassured by the fact that well over 9,400 babies were delivered safely across the two services last year and mothers rate both services highly in terms of the latest independent surveys.

“Safety remains the absolute priority for all staff working for the trust and we always look at ways we can improve safety and raise the quality of care we provide.”

Panorama said Salisbury District Hospital’s midwife to birth ratio was 32.72 but a spokesman for the hospital said its midwifery staffing level was within the prescribed limit set out in NHS Litigation Authority guidelines of one midwife to 28 births to one to 35.

The spokesman said: “The trust is committed to providing a good quality safe service which caters for the needs of all women and their families.

"This is reflected in a recent report on the trust’s maternity service by the NHS Litigation Authority.

"In its assessment the hospital’s maternity unit achieved Level 2 and passed 49 of the 50 standards indicating a very high standard within the NHS.”