Maternity services improve at King's Lynn QEH Hospital

Sophie Reeve, who gave birth to baby Donny Zipfell on 29 February, said staff had been amazing

A hospital that requires improvement has seen its maternity service rating upgraded to "good" after an inspection.

The service at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, Norfolk, had been told it required improvement by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The culture of the service was judged to be better, but it was again told it needed improvement in the safety category, including staff training.

The hospital said it was "delighted" by the CQC's findings.

The overall rating for the entire hospital remained "requires improvement".

Maternity services staff were found to work well together and focus on the needs of people using the service and their babies.

They were also praised for their awareness of health differences, affecting possible treatment and care provided, especially for ethnic minorities and less privileged groups, the CQC said.

The overall CQC rating for Queen Elizabeth Hospital remained "requires improvement"

It found a "significant improvement" in the culture of the service, where people felt able to raise concerns without fear.

However, inspectors noted mandatory training had not always been completed, which managers said had been impacted by recent industrial action.

Only 66% of midwifery staff had carried out required training courses, against a trust target of 80%.

'Delighted'

Patient Sophie Reeve, who gave birth at the QEH on 29 February, said: "This is our fourth baby we've had at the QEH.

"The team have always been amazing and the midwives are very supportive and it was nice to have the same midwife throughout my pregnancy."

Interim head of midwifery Esther Dorken said: "We are absolutely delighted the CQC inspectors found such a significant change in the culture in our service and the positive changes that make such a difference to the compassionate care our patients receive.

"We have already implemented changes to ensure areas where we performed less well attain the standards that staff and patients should expect without exception."