The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published reports for two maternity services provided by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, following inspections in February.
The services at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and the West Middlesex University Hospital were inspected as part of CQC’s national maternity services inspection programme. This will provide an up-to-date view of the quality of hospital maternity care across the country, and a better understanding of what is working well to support learning and improvement.
Following this inspection, the rating for maternity services at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital remains rated as good. Also, the rating for the hospital overall remains rated outstanding.
The rating for the maternity service at West Middlesex University Hospital remains rated as outstanding. The overall rating for the hospital continues to be rated good.
CQC’s overall rating for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is unchanged by this inspection and remains rated good overall.
Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC deputy director of secondary and specialist care, said:
“People generally received good care in the maternity services we inspected, and leaders had the skills and abilities to help staff meet people’s needs. They also supported and encouraged staff to develop their skills and take on more senior roles.
“We saw staff managing challenges well and working to continually improve services for people using them. This included engaging well with women and people using the service to plan and manage their care. The services also had maternity safety champions, who listened to people’s views to support improvement and learning for those people from diverse backgrounds.
“We will continue to monitor the services, so the trust can build on where it’s providing good care and make improvements where they’re needed.”
Inspectors found at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital:
- The service had suitable facilities to meet the needs of people's families
- Outcomes for people were consistent and met national standards
- The trust’s leadership had good oversight of performance and risk. A maternity dashboard monitored any issues. This included data on ethnicity to monitor and reduce health inequalities.
Inspectors found at West Middlesex University Hospital:
- Maternity services throughout the trust had a strong focus on reducing workforce inequalities and inequalities experienced by people using the service. Part of this work included developing 12 staff as maternity cultural safety champions
- People’s notes were comprehensive, and all staff could access them easily
- The trust had worked in partnership with trusts in North West London to develop the maternity trauma and loss care service. The service was developed with input from people who had faced maternity trauma and loss.