The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published results of its national maternity survey – with Newcastle Hospitals being rated as better or somewhat better than expected in a number of categories.
The survey askes women about their experiences of care at three different stages of their maternity journey – antenatal care, labour and birth and postnatal care – and 242 women who accessed maternity care at the Royal Victoria Infirmary took part.
The maternity team at Newcastle hospitals oversee the delivery of more than 6,000 babies every year and were recognised in the report for reducing delays with discharge and providing support or advice about feeding when needed.
Women who responded to the survey also said they were confident the midwife or midwifery team they saw were aware of their medical history and that they always felt listened to.
The survey took place in 2021 in the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and this is reflected in some of the areas the Trust performed less well. Those who responded highlighted that their partner or someone else close to them wasn’t able to stay with them as much as they wanted. Hospital restrictions throughout the Pandemic have meant that visiting in antenatal and postnatal wards was limited, but as we move through the next phase of the Pandemic some of these restrictions will continue to be eased.
Jane Anderson, associate director of midwifery at Newcastle Hospitals said:
“I would like to thank all those service users who have taken the time to provide this valuable feedback on their experiences of our great service at Newcastle. We pride ourselves on delivering outstanding levels of care, and all members of our fantastic team are pivotal in bringing high quality, compassionate care, to our families every day.
We recognise that the past two years has been really challenging for both our families and our staff; feedback of this nature is extremely important to us, enabling us to focus on continuous improvement and further develop our service into the future.”
