Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WHH) has once again been recognised for the high quality of its maternity services following the publication of the 2024 CQC Maternity Survey.
The report findings capture what women who gave birth in February 2024 felt about the care they received while pregnant, in hospital during and after labour, and once at home in the weeks following the arrival of their baby. The survey is split into four sections which ask questions about antenatal care, labour and birth, postnatal care, and complaints.
Almost 19,000 responses were received nationally for this year’s survey, with WHH revealed to be one of eight Trusts across the country and one of only two in the North West whose results were rated as ‘better than expected’ overall – meaning families’ experiences of using maternity services were substantially better than the national average.
Contributory factors include how staff introduce themselves before examination or treatment, their awareness of previous medical history, and advice and support at the start of labour. Maternity colleagues were rated 9.5 out of 10 for kindness and compassion, which epitomises the Trust’s values in encouraging staff to act consistently with compassion, empathy, civility and respect.
Warrington also scored in the top five across the region for several other measures including care at the start of pregnancy (questions related to choice), experience around antenatal appointments, experience in maternity triage, the quality of care from staff during labour and birth, and care in the maternity ward in the postnatal period.
Ali Kennah, Chief Nurse at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals, said: “We are extremely proud of our maternity services and are delighted that we have been recognised as ‘better than expected’ in the 2024 Maternity Survey. This truly reflects the passion, commitment and dedication of our maternity teams to provide the best possible care to our families.
“Many of our areas of good practice were recognised by the CQC during its visit in September 2023, when the Trust’s maternity services were rated as ‘Good’ once again. Since then, we have continued to invest in our maternity estate and services to enhance the experience and comfort for families currently in our care and those who may access services in the future.
“Our team go above and beyond every day and I’m so pleased to see their hard work to provide a positive pregnancy journey for those who choose to give birth with us has been recognised. We look forward to reviewing the survey in more detail to ensure we continue to deliver a safe and positive experience of care.”
