FAILINGS that led to the deaths of 11 babies and a mother in a maternity unit "could be happening elsewhere", the most senior midwife in the country has warned.

An investigation into the deaths at Furness General Hospital uncovered a "lethal mix" of failures between 2004 and 2013.

Led by Dr Bill Kirkup, a former senior Department of Health official, the inquiry found "failings at almost every level, from labour ward to the headquarters of national bodies".

The "dysfunctional" maternity unit gave "substandard care", with staff "deficient in skills and knowledge", it said.

Furthermore, working relationships between doctors and midwives were very poor, with midwives referring to themselves as "the musketeers" as they pursued normal childbirth "at any cost".

There was also "significant organisational failure" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Now, Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), has said problems still exist.

"Since the Kirkup report has come out I have thought about its findings long and hard and realise... the terrible truth is right now everything Dr Bill Kirkup found could be happening elsewhere and will continue to happen unless we (midwives), not just others, do something about it."

Addressing around 1,000 midwives and maternity support workers at the RCM conference in Telford, Ms Warwick said: "To think that we as midwives along with other health professionals were part of the problems that led to the deaths of mothers and babies was almost impossible for me to comprehend.

"But as increasing stories of maternity system failings hit the press, whilst some of the problems rest with the systems we work in, we have to accept that we are working in those very services."

She said some of the failures identified in the Kirkup report, "will continue to happen unless we, not others, do something about it...let's not be ostriches and bury our heads in the sand. We can do better and many of the midwives who aspire to do just that will be here today. My plea to you is get active."

Calling for more "women-centred" services and more midwives, she said: "Where were all the home birth services, the midwifery-led units and the continuity of carer schemes that the evidence tells us provide better outcomes for women?"

mfl