Three more maternity services rated ‘Good’ by CQC

Inspections made as part of continuing national programme

Published: 09 January 2023 Obstetrics and Gynaecology

As part of it’s ongoing national maternity services inspection programme, The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Rossendale Primary Care Centre, Blackburn Birth Centre and Burnley General Hospital, run by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust as ‘Good’.

This was the first inspection of maternity services at Rossendale Primary Care Centre, and the service was rated good overall and for being safe and well-led. Rossendale Primary Care Centre is also rated good overall.

Following this focused inspection, Blackburn Birthing Centre and maternity services at Burnley General Hospital remain rated good overall and for being safe and well-led. Both locations also remain rated good overall.

Pregnant woman and sonographer

The overall rating for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust remains rated as good.

Karen Knapton, CQC head of hospital inspection, said:

“When we visited maternity services at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, we found all the services we visited were well-led and leaders had the skills and abilities to run them well. They understood and managed the priorities and issues they faced and were also visible and approachable for women and staff.

“We found the service had enough maternity staff with the right qualifications, skills, training and experience to keep women safe from avoidable harm and to provide them with the right care and treatment. It was reassuring that managers regularly reviewed and adjusted staffing levels and skill mix, and gave bank and agency staff a full induction to keep people safe.

“Throughout the service we saw a positive culture with happy staff in their roles and proud to work for the trust. Staff told us they felt their teams worked well together to support women and their families. Additionally, staff could record positive feedback and thanks to staff who had gone the extra mile on an online reporting system. This feedback was shared with individual staff which boosted morale and made them feel valued.

“We will continue to monitor the service, including through future inspections, to ensure women are continuing to receive a high standard of care.”
 

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