The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated maternity services at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, run by Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, as good following an inspection in November.
The inspection was carried out as part of CQC’s national maternity services inspection programme. This programme aims to 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 locally and nationally.
Following the inspection, the maternity services rating at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital improved from requires improvement to good overall. Its rating for being safe and well-led had also improved from requires improvement to good. Effective, caring and responsive were not included in this inspection.
The overall rating for Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital remains requires improvement. The overall rating for Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust also remains requires improvement.
Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC’s deputy director of secondary and specialist healthcare, said:
“When we inspected the maternity services at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, we were pleased to find the trust had made significant improvements. We were impressed by the person-centred and open culture leaders had created where people could raise concerns without fear and be listened to.
“Staff were focused on the needs of people receiving care, and we saw them treating people with dignity and respect. They also knew how to keep people safe from harm.
“Staff told us they felt respected, supported and valued and that they worked in a fair and inclusive environment. Leaders promoted equality and diversity in their daily work, developing and delivering a mandatory training programme to all staff on ways to identify and reduce health inequalities.
“Staff had clearly worked hard since our previous inspection to improve the quality of care they were delivering to people, which is why we have now rated their maternity services as good.
“We will continue to monitor the trust, including through future inspections, to ensure people and their babies can continue to receive a good standard of care.”
Inspectors found:
- The service had recently implemented a recruitment and retention strategy to help ensure there were enough staff to keep people safe
- Staff were trained, skilled and qualified to provide the right care and treatment
- The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them
- People could access the service when they needed it and didn’t have to wait too long for treatment
- Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities and leaders supported staff to develop their skills.
However, inspectors also found:
- Staff didn’t always check equipment to ensure it was safe and ready for use
- Staff didn’t always store medicines safely and they did not always record medication refrigeration.