Cambridgeshire: Maternity units improve at two hospitals

The CQC said it was pleased at improvements made since its previous inspections at both units

Maternity services at two hospitals showed "significant" improvements, according to the healthcare regulator.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has upgraded its overall ratings for Hinchingbrooke and Peterborough City Hospitals from "requires improvement" to "good".

The commission said women and babies were receiving much better care.

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which operates both units, thanked staff but said more work was needed.

Both services were visited in April as part of the CQC's national maternity inspection programme.

At Hinchingbrooke Hospital, in Huntingdon, there were 1,925 births in the year ending March 2023, while at Peterborough there were 4,111 deliveries over roughly the same period.

Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon has seen its maternity services upgraded by inspectors

Inspectors highlighted daily safety checks of emergency and specialist equipment at Peterborough City Hospital, which was an improvement from their previous visit in 2019. An "equality, diversity, and inclusion midwife" had also been appointed to care for the city's diverse population and "hard to reach community", such as women prisoners. Most - but not all - women and people using this service received one-to-one care while they were in active labour, the report said.

For safety, the rating was also upgraded from "requires improvement" to "good".

Staff at Peterborough City Hospital had made efforts to provide services for "hard to reach" women, the report said

Hinchingbrooke Hospital staff had received training in key skills and worked well together, according to the inspector's report.

They also understood how to protect people and babies from abuse, it continued, and that "the service worked well with people in the local community to plan and manage services". But the CQC warned that staffing levels sometimes fell short, "potentially putting people's safety at risk".

'Visible and approachable'

Gill Hodgson-Reilly, the CQC deputy director of operations for the East of England, said: "Maternity leaders now had the skills and abilities to run both services, and this showed in both the care people were receiving, and how focused staff were on people's needs.

"It was great to see that people could access maternity care when they needed it without waiting too long, and at Peterborough they had implemented a new system to prioritise those who presented to triage, helping to keep them safe." She also described the management at Hinchingbrooke as being "visible and approachable" but highlighted how staff didn't always fully complete risk assessments.

Jo Bennis, chief nurse at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Peterborough City, Hinchingbrooke and Stamford and Rutland Hospitals, said she was "pleased that the inspectors could see the dedication and determination of our staff to improve the care our women, babies and their families receive."

"We know there is still work to do for us to progress even further on our improvement journey," she added.

"We will continue to work with our teams, service user groups, healthcare partners and communities to provide a high-quality maternity service."