As part of plans to improve care for mothers and newborns, the NHS in England will no longer limit the number of Caesarean sections it performs.

Previously, maternity units were encouraged to promote natural births and keep the Caesarean rate to about 20 per cent.

However, amid criticism for poor maternity care, maternity staff have been told to treat cases on an individual basis and follow National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance allowing women to opt for a planned Caesarean even if it is not for medical reasons.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust is currently being investigated for nearly 2,000 maternity incidents.

Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, NHS England chief midwife, and Matthew Joly, clinical director for women's health, said in the letter they were ‘concerned’ by trusts focusing on hitting targets. They expressed concern over the potential for services to pursue targets that may be clinically inappropriate and unsafe in individual cases

Last year, after the Health and Social Care Committee found 1,000 more babies a year would survive if England had safer maternity services, the government announced £2 million was being put into research to spot early signs of distress.