The problems have emerged as the NHS is bracing itself for the permanent closure of maternity units across the country. David Nicholson, its chief executive, recently warned that the number of maternity hospitals would need to be cut. Managers say there are not enough doctors.

Andrew Canter, who runs an advertising agency and lives in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, believes his son could have lived had Barnet maternity unit not closed to new admissions on the day his wife gave birth.

He said: “This baby could have been born alive. It was an absolute disgrace that we were treated in this way. This was a classic case of underfunding and understaffing. We now want changes so that Jake didn’t die in vain.”

The Royal College of Midwives says a lack of doctors and midwives is responsible for the closures.

Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust said the maternity unit had to close on the weekend that Jake Canter was stillborn last October because it was too busy. The hospital had not been designed for the number of women who gave birth there.