Poole Hospital's maternity service rated inadequate

The St Mary's maternity unit at Poole Hospital is set to shut in 2024

A maternity unit has been rated as inadequate after the health regulator concluded it did not always have enough staff to keep women and babies safe.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) also criticised managers at Poole Hospital's maternity service for failing to investigate some incidents "thoroughly or in a timely way".

Inspectors have issued the trust with a statutory warning notice as a result.

University Hospitals Dorset, which runs the service, said it was improving.

The CQC carried out the inspection in November as part of a nationwide evaluation of maternity services.

Siobhan Harrington, chief executive of the trust, said her staff were often under pressure

Poole's maternity service had previously been rated as good but inspectors said there had been a "deterioration in the quality of its safety and leadership arrangements".

"The service did not always have enough midwifery or medical staff to keep women and babies safe," the report said.

"The maintenance of the environment, especially in relation to the emergency call bell systems were not sufficient to maintain patient safety.

"Managers did not always investigate incidents thoroughly or in a timely way."

The CQC also inspected Poole Hospital's surgery, which it is said required improvement. Its overall rating for the hospital was the same - requiring improvement.

'Disappointing judgements'

No new ratings were issued for the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, which is run by the same trust and was previously rated as good.

Siobhan Harrington, chief executive of University Hospital Dorset, said: "I know how hard our staff are working, often under pressure, so it is disappointing to receive the judgements.

"However, we know that these reports are reflective of the challenges across the trust as we are not currently providing consistent standards of care. I do believe though that the themes within the reports are fixable.

"We have already put improvements in place and addressed some of the issues raised. We recognise though that there is more to do and will ensure we take the actions needed."

St Mary's maternity unit at Poole Hospital is set to shut in 2024 and is being replaced by a new building that is under construction at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.