Isle of Wight Maternity Services has received a Good rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The CQC’s report, published today (Wednesday), followed 2 days of planned visits by inspectors to the Maternity Unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in October 2022.
The inspections were undertaken as part of the CQC’s national maternity services inspection programme which aims to give an up-to-date view of hospital maternity care across the country. Inspectors found services to be safe and well-led and staff were supported to achieve and fulfill their roles in an environment that was conducive to learning and supporting staff development.
Amanda Pearson, Director of Midwifery said:
“We are delighted to receive a Good rating by the Care Quality Commission, particularly at such a challenging time for Maternity Services and the wider NHS.
“It is really pleasing to see our commitment to safety, learning and improvement come through in the report.
“Our Good rating is true testament to our hard working midwives, doctors and support staff for their dedication and commitment to continually improve the care we offer to pregnant people and their families.”
During the inspection inspectors found:
- Staff received key skills training and collaborated for patients. They also understood how to protect patients from abuse.
- There were enough staff to care for women and keep them safe.
- Infection risks, medicines and safety incidents were managed well.
- Women who chose to give birth outside of guidelines were supported make sure the birth was as safe as possible. Midwives said the teams worked together well to support informed choice.
- The service engaged well with women and communities to plan and manage services, and people could access it when they needed.
- Staff and leaders were committed to continually improving services.
- The report identified some areas for improvement around the monitoring, analysing and evaluating triage times and the recording and administering of medicines to improve the service for women.
At the time of the inspection an electronic triage system was implemented, as planned, and updates to the prescription chart were made.
Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC head of hospital inspection, said:
“Maternity services across England have faced significant challenges, but the Isle of Wight Trust have worked hard to not only ensure the safety of women but also allow staff to achieve their roles in an environment encouraging learning and development.
“We observed a well-run department with staff doing their very best for the women in their charge. There are some things that do need to be reviewed such as the evaluation of triage times and ensuring more clarity around the recording of medicines, but the trust leadership are already aware of these issues and working to resolve them.
“Staff felt valued and respected, and there were instances of good collaboration in the interest of women and babies.
The full report is available on the CQC website.
I don’t think they’d be rated as good today.
As the inspection was only 6 weeks ago, I name you TROLL