The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published a report following an inspection of maternity care at Eastbourne District General Hospital and Conquest Hospital, run by East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, in October.
The inspection was carried out 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 focused inspection, maternity services at both hospitals are rated as good for being well-led and requires improvement for being safe. Maternity services are overall requires improvement for Eastbourne District General Hospital and overall good for Conquest Hospital.
The overall rating for Conquest Hospital remains rated as outstanding. Eastbourne District General Hospital remains rated as good.
Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC head of hospital inspection, said:
“When we visited maternity services at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, we found a service which engaged well with women and the community, to plan and manage services. Its leaders were focused on the needs of women receiving care and were committed to making any necessary improvements.
“Although we found a well-run maternity service, there wasn’t always enough staff with the right skills and qualifications to care for women and keep them safe. However, managers regularly reviewed and adjusted staffing levels and skill mix, and gave bank and agency staff a full induction.
“Additionally, women accessing the triage service didn’t always have timely telephone access to a midwife which must be addressed.
“We will continue to monitor the service closely, including through future inspections, to ensure women are receiving a high standard of care.”
During the inspection CQC found:
- Staff received regular safeguarding advice and supervision at daily ward huddles and rounds, as well as safeguarding supervision
- The unit had in place two continuity of care services, the Lighthouse team who worked with young vulnerable pregnant people and the Ivy team who worked with low-risk women
- Staff felt respected, supported and valued. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities.
However:
- The service did not always have enough staff to keep women safe
- Women had long waits to access the day maternity assessment unit when they needed it. Women had long waits to be triaged, medical review or to be admitted or treated. During this time, women were not always monitored.