We had very clear feedback from our maternity workshop that providers and stakeholders want us to share more of the good practice we find on our inspections.

We analysed the inspection reports from the National maternity inspection programme and want to share the good practice we found in relation to leadership and culture. It is not exhaustive. But we hope that services can use the examples and get in touch with the trusts if they wish to learn more.

Inclusive culture

Maternity cultural safety champions

Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust – Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

The service had 12 maternity cultural safety champions. The purpose of the cultural safety champions was to address inequalities and improve equity for staff and people using services with protected characteristics. The champions delivered cultural safety training as part of yearly mandatory training. The 2 hour long cultural competency training sessions aimed to encourage staff to reflect on unconscious biases, understand existing inequalities in maternal and neonatal outcomes and consider how staff can improve their practice to reduce inequalities.

Staff engagement and recognition

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital

Senior leaders created a leadership ethos that encouraged all staff participation in the running of the service, which enabled staff to find solutions to problems and change the way they worked.

The service had a culture of deep respect between all levels of staff that translated into an openness and joy at being at work, making this the top trust for staff satisfaction regionally and one of the top nationally.

Senior leaders created Project Joy as a thank you to staff to show how much they appreciated their work and dedication.

Effective engagement with the maternity and neonatal voices partnership

Wirral Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - Arrowe Park Hospital

The maternity and neonatal voices partnership (MNVP) Chair was well supported and received 16 hours per week funding. The relationship between the MNVP chair and leaders was strong and inclusive. The MNVP chair had access to leaders at all times and they responded quickly and efficiently to any concerns raised. The MNVP chair was involved in the recruitment of leaders and encouraged to attend regular meetings to feedback the voices of women. They were involved in a number of initiatives designed to reach out to all groups within the local community.

Strong leadership and support for staff

Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – Kingston Hospital

Matrons often worked clinically on the central delivery suite to ensure staff could take breaks and to mitigate the risks of high acuity and low staffing levels. This was positive as it improved the safety of the unit when staffing levels were reduced. However, this sometimes impacted on matrons’ non-clinical duties such as responding to complaints, reviewing incidents, organising staff training and completing appraisals.

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust- University Hospitals Lewisham

The service was supported by the trust maternity safety champions and non-executive directors (NED). Staff told us the maternity safety champions and trust executives regularly carried out a walkaround of the maternity service, which was well advertised in advance. The service shared regular newsletters and posters of ‘you said we did’ with staff and patient feedback from recent NED visits.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

The board safety champion ran open forums both virtually and in the maternity unit regularly to gather feedback from staff and listen to their concerns or queries. We reviewed activity logs from the maternity safety champions and saw evidence that they were regularly visible and approachable on the wards, taking a proactive stance in maintaining and improving standards of care within the maternity setting.