Rabina Tindale, chief nurse at LTH, said: “This report has highlighted significant areas where we need to improve our maternity services, and my priority is to make sure we urgently take action to deliver the recommendations.
“I would like to apologise to all the families who have received maternity care with us which has fallen short of the high standard we aim to provide.”
The trust was committed to delivering the “highest standard of care” to everyone, she added, and was taking steps to deliver “safe”, “high-quality” and “compassionate” care.
Mr Wood said: “My intention was to retire in the next 12 to 18 months, but with the changes taking place within the NHS nationally, this feels like the right time for me to hand over to a new leader.
“I am committed to making sure our robust maternity improvement plans, already developed with the CQC and NHS England, are fully embedded, and that we engage constructively with the Rapid National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal services as it develops.”