Downgraded Winchester maternity unit is 'safe', says trust

The maternity unit at the Winchester hospital has faced challenges in recent years

A maternity unit that lost its good rating following an inspection by the health watchdog is safe and fully staffed, the trust has said.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) downgraded the centre at Winchester's Royal Hampshire County Hospital to requires improvement in December 2021.

The unit has also faced a claim of unfair dismissal by a former consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist.

Martyn Pitman had raised worries about midwifery care at the hospital.

A recent employment tribunal dismissed the 57-year-old's complaints.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) is now consulting the public on a huge shake-up to services, of which maternity is a big part.

Martyn Pitman, pictured delivering a baby in 2019, was dismissed from his job at the hospital in March 2023

Liz McLeod, head of midwifery at the hospital, said the CQC's downgrade came at a "really difficult time for us".

She explained: "We were just coming out of the pandemic - nationally, midwifery as a profession was in a really difficult place in terms of retaining midwives in the profession."

Ms McLeod said health inspectors had picked up on the issue of staffing during their visit in 2021.

"That day they came to visit, our staffing was really challenging and it's one of the main things we've been able to do since then - to really focus on recruitment but also retention, making sure we're doing everything we can to keep the midwives that we have got in our service and within the profession more widely," she said.

New mother Kanchana Whittle recently chose the unit to give birth to her son, despite knowing it had been downgraded.

"I did look at the [CQC] report in particular," she explained.

"But, having spoken to friends that have delivered here or neighbours, I could have gone to other hospitals and I chose to come here based on the favourable reports from my family and friends."

New mother Kanchana Whittle recently chose the unit to give birth to her son

Ms Whittle continued: "For me, it was coming to a place of safety, knowing I was in a place of good care and I could trust everything."

The challenges are not unique to Hampshire - maternity units across England have the poorest safety ratings of any hospital service. The CQC has deemed two thirds are not safe enough.

And a string of high profile cases where babies at other trusts have died or been harmed in the care of the NHS has led to calls from families for a public inquiry into the country's maternity services.

The government said £165m has gone into improving neonatal services each year since 2021.

'Safe place'

Alex Whitfield, HHFT chief executive, said: "There are days when we're under a lot of pressure and that's the trouble with maternity - you can't space things out, babies come when babies come.

"But the team absolutely rally round and support the mums and babies and this is a safe place to have your baby."

The trust, which runs hospitals in Basingstoke, Winchester and Andover, is considering proposals that would see Winchester lose its consultant-led maternity service, which would move to a new acute hospital in Basingstoke.

If agreed, the plan would increase overall consultant cover at the trust from 60 to 98 hours a week. A midwife-led birthing centre would also be created at Winchester.

The consultation into maternity and other services including the future of A&E in Winchester is open until mid-March.