THE maternity services at Warrington Hospital have again been rated “Good” by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) although some improvements are needed around safety concerning safeguarding issues.
It was found that not all staff had completed the required mandatory training and policies were not always in place and did not reflect current practice or provide sufficient guidance for staff.
The findings follow an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) last September for the services run by Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The inspection was carried out as part of CQC’s national maternity services inspection programme. This provides 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.
The overall rating for maternity services has been rated good again, as have the ratings for being safe and well-led. Effective, caring, and responsive, were not included in this inspection.
Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC’s deputy director of secondary and specialist healthcare, said: “When we inspected maternity services at Warrington Hospital, we saw a service that provided good care to women, people using the service, and their babies. It was led by committed leaders who were well-respected, approachable, and supportive. They had also created a culture where staff worked well as a team and spoke positively about each other.
“Inspectors found, staff completed and updated risk assessments and took action to remove or minimise risks to people. They also identified and quickly acted when women and people using the service were at risk of deterioration.
“We were also pleased to see some outstanding practice. The service had set up an antenatal and postnatal clinic in a hotel which was housing asylum seekers, to reduce barriers to accessing care, and supporting people who have been made vulnerable by their housing situation.
“We did also find some improvements were needed around safety. Most staff understood how to protect people from abuse, and the service worked well with partner organisations to do so. However, improvements were needed around the number of medical staff who had completed their safeguarding training on how to recognise and report abuse, which was raised at the last inspection. Also, not all staff understood the systems to report safeguarding concerns which could put people at risk.
“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 was visibly clean and staff controlled infection risk well.
• Staff assessed risks to people, acted on them and kept good care records.
• Medicines were managed well.
• The service identified, recorded, and responded to safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
• Staff were passionate about the care they provided and were engaged in improving the service further.
• Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent.
• People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
However:
• Not all staff had completed the required mandatory training.
• Policies were not always in place or did not reflect current practice or provide sufficient guidance for staff.
The full report can be read on the CQC’s website
Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s Chief Nurse and Deputy Chief Executive, Kimberley Salmon-Jamieson: said: “We are delighted and proud that our maternity services have once again been rated as ‘Good’ by the CQC, following their inspection in September 2023.
“The inspection report reflects the commitment of staff to provide the best possible maternity care within what inspectors describe as a ‘culture that places people’s care at the heart of the service’.
As well as highlighting many areas of good practice, we are pleased inspectors also noted outstanding practice in our work with partners to overcome barriers to accessing services, which can be faced by some in our communities.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for their incredible commitment and dedication to keeping people who choose to birth with us and their babies safe in our care.”
Meanwhile, Director of Midwifery, Ailsa Gaskill-Jones added: “We are all extremely proud that our service has been rated good by the CQC once again, and to have also achieved this rating across both the safe and well-led domains.
“This is good news for women and people currently in the care of our maternity services and for members of our communities who may access our services in the future.
“The inspectors’ report reflects the incredible passion of the team involved in delivering our service, from doctors, midwives, support workers and domestics to colleagues across the wider Trust.
“We look forward to reviewing the report’s findings in more detail to ensure we continue to provide a safe and positive experience of care.”
A full copy of the report can be read by CLICKING HERE
