Maternity services at the James Paget University Hospital are rated better than comparable hospitals, following a survey of people that have used these services commissioned by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in June of this year.
The 2024 CQC Maternity Survey focuses on the care of people while they were pregnant, their experience of labour and giving birth, the care in the ward after birth, feeding their baby, and care after birth. In 11 response areas, the James Paget’s maternity services are in the top 20% of responses for all hospitals in the country.
The James Paget’s maternity services were formally inspected in 2023 as part of the CQC’s national maternity inspection programme, and the leadership and safety of the services were rated as ‘inadequate’. The annual maternity survey provided people that had given birth at the Trust or at home between January and March 2024, the opportunity to give their feedback on their experiences.
The survey shows the James Paget scored highly in the support for people’s mental health and wellbeing during pregnancy, and how midwives listened during antenatal check-ups. Respondents also reported a significant increase in the satisfaction with the information provided by midwives and doctors that informed their decision of where they had their baby, in comparison to the 2023 survey.
The hospital’s maternity services also received highly positive responses for the time and space to ask questions during antenatal check-ups, and for the support in understanding elements of an individual’s pregnancy and birth plans. Within care after birth, the hospital scored highly in recognising people’s personal circumstances when giving advice on their birth, and the confidence and trust they had towards midwives after leaving the hospital and caring for their baby at home.
Jo Segasby, Chief Executive of James Paget University Hospital, said: “It is very encouraging to see improvements to how our maternity services are being experienced by the people that matter most – mothers and their babies. Our hospital and the maternity team have made every effort to ensure our services are at the standards we want them to be for people giving birth at our Trust, and the outcomes of the survey indicate we are moving in the right direction.”
Paul Morris, Chief Nurse at the James Paget, said: “I am pleased that the care and support provided to expecting and new parents by the whole maternity team has been recognised, especially the work of the Eden team who provide additional mental health support for people giving birth at our hospital.
“We know that our maternity services must continue to improve, and we are committed to working with our staff, our health and care partners, and most importantly people who have experienced giving birth at our hospital, to deliver this change.”
Alongside the survey results, the James Paget’s maternity team has been provided recommendations for improving services, which include ensuring that all patients are given details about who to contact, and how, if they need support or advice about feeding their baby, and building on the important role of midwives in evaluating postpartum depression symptoms, and supporting mental health and overall well-being.
To address the long-term development of maternity services, the James Paget has a Maternity Improvement Plan, which has been developed with input from staff and in collaboration with its local Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership.
In 2024, the Trust’s Maternity Services achieved all ten of the ten safety and quality standards set by the NHS England’s Maternity Incentive Scheme. The hospital has also adopted the Birmingham Symptom Specific Obstetric Triage System, a nationally recognised, evidence based system to improve the safety and quality of maternity services, and help midwives manage the triage, care and clinical safety of pregnant people.