Maternity services in Hull and East Riding "of greatest need of improvement"
Local CCGs have responded to the concerns
Both Hull NHS Trust and East Riding of Yorkshire NHS Trust are among those with the "greatest need for improvment" to their maternity services, according to NHS England.
New figures show maternity care at almost three-quarters of local NHS groups needs to improve.
In total, 209 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) were rated of which 144 "need improvement,'' with 11 registering the "greatest need for improvement,'' according NHS England.
Just one group, West Kent, was ranked as top performing'' with a further 53 classed asperforming well''.
The figures have been hailed as a positive step'' for transparency by the midwives' trade union.
Maternity was assessed in four areas to give a broad representation'' of care: stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates, maternal smoking rate at delivery, experience and choice.
Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said she welcomed the openness and transparency in publishing these ratings,'' but wasconcerned about the number of services requiring improvement''.
She added: This is a positive step and one that could help women to be informed about the quality of services where they live and empower them to make more informed decisions about their care.
Hopefully these ratings will be used to help CCGs learn from the best and to improve quality where that is shown to be needed.''
In a statement, Chief Officer for East Riding CCG, Jane Hawkward, said:
> “It is a concern to be rated in the category of greatest need for improvement in the report on maternity care released by NHS England.> > > > “Our figure for still births and neonatal deaths is 5.6 per 1,000 births, which is considered a similar rate to most other CCGs, with some areas reporting more than double this figure. We do however constantly review this to look at reducing this figure further as every single loss is extremely upsetting.> > > > “What is disappointing is our ratings for experience of maternity services and choices in maternity services. We will work with our providers of maternity services to look at ways to improve these.> > > > We offer a range of choice for expectant mothers, including midwifery led units and home birth. We need to ensure all available options are explained fully at an early stage of pregnancy.”
While a spokesperson for NHS Hull CCG said:
> “We are aware of the areas highlighted in the report as they are areas which we have already identified as priorities for improvement over the coming months. We continue to work with our partner organisations to address the issues and ensure that patients receive the best care possible when accessing services.”