Mums praise ‘amazing’ NHS maternity staff as new rating published
Staff at a Wirral hospital have been called “amazing” by patients after the centre was rated as “good” for maternity services.
The inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) took place at the end of April at Arrowe Park Hospital[1] and the Seacombe Birth Centre, both of which are managed by the Wirral[2] University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
In the last year, the trust had helped deliver 3,000 babies including 77 home births. Responding to the report published on August 10, patients praised the “amazing” NHS staff for providing a high standard of care and a service beyond their expectations.
The review was part of a national programme aiming to give an up to date view on maternity services across the country. As this was not an inspection of all services, the overall rating of the trust still requires improvement.
Maternity staff were praised in the report for their high level training in key skills, teamworking, emergency responses, and knowledge in protecting women and birthing people from abuse. The report also found infection risk was controlled well, good record keeping and medicine management, and lessons were learnt from safety incidents.
The trust was also praised for its outstanding work with its Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership which holds regular meetings to feedback the opinions of those using the service.
According to the report, “people could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment,” staff were committed to improving services and felt respected, supported and valued.
Kerry Roberts, from Wallasey and pregnant with her third child, said: “I’m really happy that the work of the staff has been recognised and they work so hard to make sure it’s a high standard of care. Both of my babies were born at Arrowe Park and both times the staff were amazing.
“The staff were wonderful and very supportive. This time around with my third baby I’ve had continuity of care and I love it. I have the same midwife every time I go to my appointment, which is lovely.”
Cilla Padi, who recently gave birth to Marcel at Arrowe Park[4], said: “From the moment I walked through the doors, I felt I was in a supportive environment and that truly put me at ease. The exceptional care and attention I received from the maternity team were beyond my expectations.
“Their expertise, compassion, and dedication made me feel safe and empowered throughout my journey to motherhood. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone at Arrowe Park Hospital for making my birthing experience truly unforgettable.”
Arrowe Park Hospital was one of the places inspected (Image: Liverpool Echo)
However the report did find the trust needed to make sure medicines were always in date and sometimes there were not enough midwives to assess patients because of staffing models.
The report said: “When the triage area was not busy, the second midwife was moved to support busier departments.
“However, this left one midwife and a ward clerk to deal with incoming calls and to assess women and birthing people as they arrived. This had not led to any known delays in assessment, but some staff told us they felt it was not always safe.”
The CQC said records showed every patient between January and March 2023 were assessed within 15 minutes of arriving at the hospital.
The Trust’s CEO Janelle Holmes said: “This is a fantastic achievement and great news for patients and staff. Our Trust plays such a big role locally and has a special place in people’s hearts as so many Wirral[5] people were born here or have had their own children in Arrowe Park and Seacombe.
“We are so pleased that this inspection report reflects the hard work and dedication of our staff to making the experience of all our patients personalised and individual.”
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References
- ^ Arrowe Park Hospital (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ Wirral (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ August dates for DWP Universal Credit and benefit payments (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ Arrowe Park (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ Wirral (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ Don’t miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ Win £200 Aldi shopping voucher to help with your summertime spending (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)