Milton Keynes Hospital maternity services praised by inspectors

CQC inspectors visited Milton Keynes Hospital's maternity services in March

The maternity unit of a hospital has been praised by inspectors who said the care of women was "at the heart of its service".

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated maternity services at Milton Keynes Hospital "good" following checks.

Leadership was rated "outstanding", with safety on the unit "good".

"We found a culture at the trust where staff were focused on the needs of women and people receiving care," the CQC said.

Inspectors visited the unit in March as part of the CQC's national maternity inspection programme.

The improvements come a year after a report found staffing levels at the unit contributed to drug errors.

Ratings for Milton Keynes University Hospital remained unchanged, staying "good" overall.

Milton Keynes Hospital maternity services were rated "good" - with leadership at the unit deemed "outstanding"

Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC deputy director of secondary and specialist healthcare, said "people's care was placed at the heart of the service by outstanding leadership".

Leaders "had the skills and abilities to run the service", she added, saying: "We saw a workforce that had the right training and key skills to keep people safe, and worked well together for the benefit of women, people using the service and their babies."

Infection risks were also well-controlled, the CQC said, and staff felt "respected, supported and valued".

However, the trust needed to ensure better use of a new incident reporting system. All staff were committed to continually learning and improving services, the CQC said.

Ms Jenkinson added: "We will continue to monitor the service, including through future inspections, to ensure women are continuing to receive a high standard of care."

Joe Harrison, chief executive at Milton Keynes University Hospital, said the maternity team "work incredibly hard to provide safe, personalised care for women and families across Milton Keynes with care and dedication".

"We know that there is still more to do and have integrated the recommendations that the CQC have made into quality improvement plans for maternity services."

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