A coalition of health organisations have called for upgrades to England’s NHS maternity service buildings to improve care for women and conditions for staff.

The One Voice coalition of health organisations and the Society of Radiographers stressed that women’s maternity care was significantly impacted during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, made worse by old, poorly designed buildings.

Many women were unable to have their partners with them because the layout of maternity facilities prevented social distancing, and would have put women, their partners and other service users at risk of catching the virus. The coalition is calling for better design and use of space, such as having single rooms and dedicated areas for maternity clinics and scans.

A survey by Sands for Baby Loss Awareness Week last year found that among the reasons why partners were not asked to attend routine appointments and scans was the difficulty of social distancing in scan rooms.

One Voice is urging for a wholesale review of NHS estates, particularly maternity services, and upgrading those that fall short of the standard needed. They also say better planning of maternity facilities in new hospitals is needed, such as ensuring sufficient space and dedicated clinical areas and rooms – including bereavement rooms – are incorporated into the design.

Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives and co-chair of One Voice, said: “Many women suffered significant distress during the pandemic because they could not have partners with them. Something as simple as a well-designed building can make a huge difference to the experiences of women and their families using maternity services. As the pandemic also showed, it was often the difference between a woman having a partner or friend with her at appointments and being alone. We have had a significant injection of money into England’s maternity services to increase staffing levels and support better training. We now need a similar commitment to improve the buildings these services are in.

“Many of the buildings used are old and in need of repair. They are simply not fit for purpose. We must learn the lessons of the past year and ensure maternity services have the right building and conditions in which to deliver the safest and best possible care for women, their families and for staff.”