Our maternity team have been rated for improvements to support and information sharing in a patient survey.
The results of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 2021 Maternity Survey show improvements in key aspects of these two areas. In particular, this was to whether the respondents would have liked to have seen or spoken to a midwife more/less/the right amount) (the rating improved from 4.5 in 2019 to 6.6 this year) and whether they were given information about physical recovery after birth (the rating improved from 7.1 in 2019 to 7.5 in 2021) and was better than most trusts.
The feedback also improved and was rated as somewhat better than most trusts for midwives providing relevant information during pregnancy about feeding the baby (the rating improved from 7.4 in 2019 to 7.7 in 2021).
The results were rated as about the same as other trusts for the majority of questions.
Areas highlighted for the maternity team to focus on improving in comparison to other trusts included information about COVID-19 restrictions and implications on maternity care, and creating a more comfortable atmosphere for labour in the way the respondents would have liked. Some aspects of communication were also highlighted, including being spoken to in a way the respondents could understand and increased opportunities to ask questions about labour and birth after the baby was born.
The 2021 maternity survey involved 122 NHS trusts in England. Women aged 16 years or over who had a live birth between 1 and 28 February 2021 (and January if a trust did not have a minimum of 300 eligible births in February) were invited to take part in the survey. The survey took place between April and August 2021. 170 patients from PAHT responded to the survey, with a response rate of 57.05%.
Giuseppe Labriola, director of midwifery, said: “We are proud that we have continued to improve the support and information sharing for women, pregnant people and their families.
“We have enhanced the service using the results of previous years through reviewing patient feedback and implementing changes. We continue to have a strong focus on ensuring that we provide high quality care and experiences.”
Sharon McNally, director of nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals, added: “It is testament to the hard work and dedication of the maternity team that we have seen these improvements.
“We thank women and pregnant people for sharing their feedback – we are committed to developing our maternity service for the future.”