Royal Stoke University Hospital ordered to improve maternity services

The Care Quality Commission highlighted issues with training, staffing levels and access to equipment

A hospital has been ordered to improve its maternity services by a care watchdog.

An inspection at the Royal Stoke University Hospital in March saw the overall rating drop from good to requires improvement.

A lack of systems to prioritise care and treatment for patients are among failings found by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The hospital trust said it had taken "immediate action".

The review was carried out as part of the CQC's national maternity services inspection programme, designed to provide an up-to-date view of the quality of care across the country.

Following the inspection, the safety of the service has also dropped from requires improvement to inadequate.

"When we inspected maternity services at Royal Stoke University Hospital, we found leaders had the necessary skills and abilities, however there are areas they need to improve to keep women and people using the service safe," Carolyn Jenkinson, the CQC's deputy director of secondary and specialist healthcare, said.

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust said it was "committed to delivering the highest standards possible" for patients

She added: "Inspectors found people were waiting too long to be seen and were asked to wait alone without the support of their loved ones."

Inspectors also found:

• Staff did not always have training in key skills to ensure safe treatment for people

• Equipment was not always available for use, leading to potential delays in treatment

• Staffing levels did not always match the planned numbers, putting people's safety at risk

• The service used systems to monitor performance and risks. However, staff did not always follow trust guidelines to identify and escalate associated risks

• Mandatory staff training did not meet targets

In response to the report, the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust said it anticipated the outcome, having received a warning notice from the CQC.

'Remain committed'

Ann-Marie Riley, UHNM chief nurse, said delivering "safe, high-quality care to women and their families is always our priority".

"We recognise the issues highlighted in the report and took immediate action to improve maternity triage processes, while continuing to improve staffing levels by investing in additional midwifery staff to support the care received by those giving birth and their families," she said.

"We are continuing to work hard to not only implement further improvements but to ensure they become embedded. We remain committed to delivering the highest standards possible for the people using our services."