Maternity care provided by colleagues at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) has been praised in the 2024 Care Quality Commission (CQC) survey.
Nationally, the survey received responses from 18,951 women and birthing people who had a baby in February 2024, and it covers all aspects of maternity services including antenatal care, care during labour and birth and post-natal care. A total of 141 service users responded to the survey based on care they received from UHMBT between 18 April and 18 July 2024.
The Trust performed significantly better than the survey average in 17 questions, and was similar to the average in the other 42 questions.
Almost all of the UHMBT service users that responded to the survey said that they were treated with respect and dignity (96%), had confidence and trust in staff (96%), and felt they were involved in decisions about their care during labour and birth (95%).
The Trust also ranked highly against the survey average in the following areas:
- Being able to get help when needed after birth (98%)
- Felt midwives were aware of medical history after the birth (88%)
- Found partner was able to stay with them in hospital as long as they wanted to after the birth (84%)
- Being discharged without delay (77%)
- Saw the midwife as much as wanted to after the birth (76%)
Susan Foyle, Director of Midwifery, UHMBT, said: “We’re really pleased that feedback from the people who use our maternity services has highlighted so many positives about the care we provide. It is particularly encouraging to see that almost 100% of respondents have confidence and trust in staff, and felt involved in decisions around their care.
“I’m so proud to see that the hard work of our dedicated maternity teams in making sure our families receive the best care and experience is being reflected in the survey results.”
Tabetha Darmon, Chief Nursing Officer, UHMBT, said: “The survey results give us lots to celebrate, however we also recognise the areas where we still have work to do, namely around ensuring service users feel involved in their care, providing clear communication and information, managing pain during labour and birth, and treating people with kindness and compassion.
“We want to thank everyone that took part in the survey as your feedback is incredibly important to us, and helps to inform our ongoing improvement work.”
UHMBT’s full survey results can be viewed on the CQC website.