The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has again rated maternity services at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust as good following an inspection in March.
The inspection was carried out as part of CQC’s national maternity inspection programme.
The 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 at a local and national level.
Inspectors only looked at the areas of safe and well-led in the maternity service. Following the inspection, the overall rating for maternity, as well as the areas of safe and well-led, were rated as good. The overall rating for the trust remains as requires improvement.
Carolyn Jenkinson, deputy director of secondary and specialist healthcare, said:
“When we inspected maternity services at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, we saw a service that provided good care to women and people using the service, and their babies. It was led by committed, visible and effective leaders who prioritised safety and engaged well with staff, people, and families.
“We saw staff who were proud of the organisation as a place to work, were clear about their roles and accountabilities and put people at the centre of their own care.
“Staff spoke positively to us about the leadership team, telling us they were encouraging and supportive. The executive team visited the ward regularly and knew all staff by name which helped everyone feel part of one, inclusive team.
“People could access the service when they needed it and didn’t have to wait too long for treatment, and all staff were committed to continually improving services.
“The service should also be commended for trying to tackle health inequalities. Leaders monitored and investigated data to identify why people from ethnic or disadvantaged groups had different health outcomes. They also developed and delivered a training programme to educate staff on how to identify and reduce health inequalities.
“We will continue to monitor the trust, including through future inspections, to ensure women continue to receive a good standard of care.”
Inspectors found the following during this inspection:
- Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent
- The service had 24-hour access to mental health liaison and specialist mental health support
- The service controlled infection risk well
- Most of the nursing, midwifery staff and medical staff received and kept up to date with their mandatory training
- The service engaged well with people and the community to plan and manage services
- Staff assessed risks to people, acted on them and kept good care records.
- The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.