Maternity services 'need further improvement'

The maternity service at Royal Derby Hospital was rated as requires improvement

Maternity services at Derby and Burton's hospitals have been rated as requires improvement by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The watchdog said the service provided at Royal Derby Hospital had made "some progress" since its last inspection in 2023, where it was rated inadequate, but added the risk to women's safety was "still a concern".

CQC inspectors added the service at Queen's Hospital in Burton, which was also previously rated inadequate alongside Royal Derby Hospital, did not have a "coordinated approach" to the care provided.

The NHS trust which runs the sites said it would use the recommendations from the inspection in December 2024 as further opportunities to improve and learn.

The maternity service at Queen's Hospital in Burton was rated requires improvement

Sarah Noble, director of midwifery at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB), said: "While we fully acknowledge there is more to do, these improved CQC ratings reflect the hard work our teams have put into improvements over the last two years."

According to the report by inspectors, the service at Royal Derby Hospital requires improvement in all six of the assessment areas, however the service at Queen's Hospital was rated "good" in the caring assessment area.

CQC inspectors wrote two reports, one for each hospital, which both said: "Visible leadership by the obstetric medical team was poor, which meant appropriate actions and prompt responses to issues with the service were delayed at times.

"We were concerned that the system in place to identify, escalate and manage women and birthing women and their babies who require induction of labour was ineffective and not in line with national guidance."

'Pockets of improvement'

At Royal Derby Hospital, inspectors said the birthing centre did not have "easily accessible" resuscitation equipment.

"If an emergency took place, the trust could not be assured that the equipment could assess quickly to keep mothers and babies safe," the report added.

Inspectors said at both hospitals the handover of information was in accordance with trust guidelines but "lacked privacy and dignity".

"We observed this process and were able to hear the full handover for each patient in that bay," the CQC report said.

However, both reports said women were positive about staff and said they treated them with "warmth and kindness" and provided effective care and treatment.

A CQC spokesperson said inspectors found "pockets of improvement" at the two hospitals and added the trust had taken action to meet some of the requirements of the warning notices issued at their previous inspection.

"However, additional work was needed to address the culture and atmosphere among leaders and staff, improve communication between areas, report all incidents in line with policy and, fundamentally, to ensure people were receiving safe and effective care," the spokesperson added.

"We acknowledge that the amount of time it has taken to publish the findings of this assessment falls far short of what people using the service and the trust should expect, and we sincerely apologise for this.

"However, the report captures a snapshot of the care provided at the time we carried out our inspection and remains an accurate depiction of our assessment at that time."

Ms Noble, from UHDB, said the inspection reports showed the trust had focused on the "right changes", such as increased staffing, better compliance with national maternity safety standards and training.

"We have taken these reports seriously and will use the recommendations as further opportunities to improve and learn, in addition to the changes we have already put in place.

"We remain fully committed to continuing our work and delivering high-quality, safe, and personalised care for the women and babies we care for," Ms Noble added.