Safety at Wolverhampton hospital's maternity service 'requires improvement'
The overall rating given to maternity at New Cross Hospital remains 'good'
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published its report into maternity care at New Cross Hospital, run by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, following an inspection in October.
Maternity services at New Cross Hospital remain rated as 'good' overall. The service also remains rated as 'good' for being well-led.
Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC head of hospital inspection, said:
“When we visited maternity services at New Cross Hospital, we found a service which engaged well with women and the community to plan and manage services. Its leaders were focused on the needs of women receiving care and were committed to making any necessary improvements.
The overall rating for New Cross Hospital remains rated as good. However it has gone from being 'good' to 'requires improvement' for being safe.
“Although we found a well-run maternity service, there wasn’t always enough staff with the right skills and qualifications to care for women and keep them safe. However, managers regularly reviewed and adjusted staffing levels and skill mix, and gave bank and agency staff a full induction." Jenkinson said
“Additionally, women accessing the triage service didn’t always have timely telephone access to a midwife which must be addressed.
“We will continue to monitor the service closely, including through future inspections, to ensure women are receiving a high standard of care.”
The report did find though that Staff worked well together for the benefit of women. They understood how to protect women from abuse.
The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to women, acted on them and kept good care records. The service also managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
Leaders were found to have run services well using mostly reliable information systems. Staff were supported to develop skills.
Staff felt respected, supported and valued. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities.
We have contacted the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust for comment.