The Royal College of Midwives is calling for an independent investigation into One to One midwives going into administration.

The RCM was "extremely concerned" when it received notification that One to One was to go into administration on Wednesday, July 31.

READ> NHS advice for expectant Wirral mums after One to One closure

The RCM says it received news of this only two days before.

The organisation - the recognised body to represent staff of One to One - has revealed it was "accorded no consultation."

More than 4,500 women in the Northwest were receiving pregnancy advice from One to One, including many in Wirral. The company's advice centre was based at St James Children Centre in Birkenhead.

Last week a petition was launched after the shock announcement.

So far it has been signed by more than 4,300 people.

Today the RCM issued a statement saying: "The sudden announcement of administration of this company has caused anguish and uncertainty for women for whom One to One provided care.

"We understand that transfer arrangements are now in place because the key issue is the continuing care those women booked with the company will now be receiving from the NHS.

"We regret the move to administration of ‘One to One’ as a going concern and as an example of market failure.

"We have argued in many forums, not least with successive Secretaries/Ministers of State as well as with NHS England that the tariff for maternity services did not support either commercial companies or NHS provided services adequately.

"We believe NHS England should commission an Independent Investigation to learn lessons, to make the position transparent and to apportion responsibility, whether financial or professional."

One to One said it had to "make the difficult decision to cease trading after almost a decade of community based midwifery in the Mersey and Cheshire region."

A statement on its facebook page says: “We have sought to influence the financial basis of how a community midwife-led service, based on a continuity of carer model, can remain viable and sustainable within a challenging NHS landscape.

“But in the absence of any appetite to support these proposals, and recent confirmation that the proposed new contract will be procured without changes to this unsustainable financial structure, One to One had no further options available and as such has no choice but to recognise that the company was insolvent.”

Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group hired the firm in 2010 with the contract due to expire at the end of March of 2020.

To sign the petition click here