Maternity services at Croydon University Hospital rated ‘Good’ for safety following CQC inspection
Maternity services at Croydon University Hospital have been given an improved rating of ‘Good’ for safety following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
In a new report published today (22 February 2023), the hospital’s maternity services, run by Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, are now rated ‘Good’ on every measure assessed by the independent inspectors of health and care services in England, as part of a national review to assess the quality of maternity care available.
The inspection rated maternity services at the hospital as ‘Good’ overall and ‘Good’ for being well-led. How effective, caring and responses services are, were not assessed and remain unchanged by this inspection.
During the inspection in December 2022, a team of inspectors from the CQC visited all areas of the hospital’s maternity services, including labour ward, theatres, antenatal and postnatal care as well as the midwifery-led birthing centre, to speak directly to staff and people who use the service.
Publishing its review, the CQC found:
- The hospital’s maternity services had enough staff on each shift to care for women and their babies and keep them safe;
- Staff worked well together and had the right qualifications, skills, training and experience on each shift;
- Croydon University Hospital had dedicated teams and designated midwives who provide specialist support, supervision and training;
- Equipment and premises was kept visibly clean and infection risks at the hospital well controlled;
- There was 24-hour access to mental health liaison and a specialist perinatal mental health midwife if staff were concerned about a woman’s mental health;
- Staff spoke positively about the support they received from their managers; and
- Were passionate about their role and difference they made to the experiences of women and their families.
The CQC also found ‘Outstanding’ practice, praising the Trust’s HEARD (Health Equity and Racial Disparity in Maternity) campaign which launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to help raise awareness and tackle racial disparities and health inequalities for women from Black, Asian or any other minority ethnic groups.
The campaign aims to improve health outcomes and ensure equality of access to maternity services by learning from the lived experiences of women and their families. This has included holding outreach events at a local shopping centre at the heart of Croydon’s community for people to share their maternity experiences with the Trust’s clinical teams and discuss what worked well and where improvements could be made. The Trust has also launched a dedicated phone line for women, including those that may be affected by the HEARD campaign and those who need to be heard.
Elaine Clancy, Chief Nurse and Executive Director of Midwifery at the Trust, said:
“We are so very proud that the CQC has recognised the many changes we have made and found our maternity services to be safe and well-led. There were also some areas for improvement, many of which we are working to address. We’ve been rated ‘Good’ but we’re aiming high and will continue to strive for ‘Outstanding’ to ensure we provide the best care for women and their families in Croydon.
“Our midwives have the best jobs but also one of the hardest, caring for some of the most vulnerable in one of London’s largest and most diverse boroughs. Initiatives like the HEARD campaign, which the CQC found to be ‘Outstanding’, aims to breakdown barriers to make our care more inclusive of all.
“The care of our staff is also fundamentally important so we’re pleased the CQC saw staff at all levels who were passionate about their care, felt respected and valued in their roles and who work well as a team to share lessons learned and grow their skills and expertise to achieve their career aspirations and care for our community.”
The Trust will now act on the CQC’s findings, which identified some areas for development.
It was found that the service did not always maintain and service equipment and to ensure that medicines are stored and managed appropriately.
Another area of focus was to address the high vacancy and turnover rates in maternity staffing, an issue that is widespread across NHS in England.
The CQC also found the Trust should review the number of student midwives in the hospital’s service, after a number had to stay for extended periods to complete their training due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Trust has since increased the number of full time Clinical Placement Facilitators to support students during their training.
The report will be published on the CQC’s website on Wednesday 22 February.
The ratings for both Croydon University Hospital and Croydon Health Services NHS Trust remains ‘Requires Improvement’ overall and also for being safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
