A national maternity survey published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found that women who gave birth in hospitals across Morecambe Bay last year felt that they were involved in decisions regarding their care and were treated with dignity and respect by hospital staff.
The survey result for University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) includes responses from 106 women who gave birth in early 2018 at Furness General Hospital, Westmorland General Hospital or the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
The results of the survey showed that 92% of the women who responded felt they were treated with respect and dignity during their care, 94% said they were spoken to in a way they could understand and 98% of the women had said their partners were involved as much as they wanted.
Key strengths outlined for UHMBT include:
• Women felt they were involved in decisions about their care
• They received support and advice about feeding their baby during evenings, nights or weekends
• They were not left alone when worried
• Any concerns were taken seriously
• The cleanliness of the rooms
The survey helps to identify what mothers think of maternity care services provided by the Trust in the antenatal care, labour and birth, and postnatal care stages. A total of 50 questions were asked in the 2019 survey, with UHMBT performing about the same as other Trusts across the country.
The Trust will continue to work on some areas highlighted in the report – as only 70% of those responding said they had the opportunity to ask questions about their labour and birth and only 65% said they were not delayed while being discharged.
Carol Carlile, Head of Midwifery, Gynaecology and Obstetrics at UHMBT, said: “We are really pleased to see that women who recently used our maternity services felt supported and listened to by staff and involved in decisions about their care.
“The results of the survey are a testament to the dedicated staff working across our hospitals to make sure that service users and their families are cared for to the highest possible standards.
“I’m so proud of the teams who have helped to achieve these results and am looking forward to continuing to develop our services and improve and wherever we can.”
The national 2019 Maternity survey results are available to view from the CQC website at https://www.cqc.org.uk/provider/RTX/survey/5#undefined