Urgent safety improvements at Sheffield's Jessop Wing as maternity unit rated 'inadequate'
The CQC found a number of issues during an inspection in March
Last updated 9th Jun 2021
Health regulators have taken urgent action to improve safety at the Jessop Wing in Sheffield after the maternity unit was downgraded from 'outstanding' to 'inadequate'.
An unannounced inspection back in March exposed a number of issues including with training of staff, risk assessments and record keeping.
Urgent conditions were imposed on the NHS trust which runs the unit requiring it to take action to make sure patients are safe and to regularly report to Care Quality Commission on progress.
Inspectors found there weren't effective systems to make sure staff had the right skills, competence and knowledge to care for women and babies safely.
They also found safety incidents weren't managed well and risk assessments weren't kept up to date.
The CQC also flagged that some records were kept on paper and others on a computer system making it hard for staff to get an overview of patient notes.
Sarah Dronsfield, CQC’s head of hospital inspection, said:
“When we visited maternity services in the Jessop Wing at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, inspectors found a service that was not providing the standard of care women should be able to expect. Our findings were such that the ratings for maternity services across the trust have moved from outstanding to inadequate.
“Due to the concerns we found that needed addressing as a priority, we have imposed urgent conditions on the trust’s registration which require immediate action in order to make sure people receive the care they are entitled to.
“However, we also found some areas of good practice and a culture where staff felt respected, valued and supported. Staff were caring and focused on the needs of the women receiving care, and the service also promoted equality and diversity in daily work.
“Following the inspection, the trust has provided an action plan detailing what they are doing to reduce these risks and we have discussed the first stages of the improvements the trust has taken. We continue to monitor the trust extremely closely and expect them to continue to make rapid improvements."
What does the NHS Trust have to say?
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is reassuring women they will still get good and safe care at Jessop Wing.
They have drawn up an urgent action plan and tell us many of the improvements on it have already been made since the inspection in March.
Kirsten Major, Chief Executive of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said:
“I want to assure women coming into the Jessop Wing to have their babies that our maternity teams work incredibly hard every day to ensure their care is always the number one priority and whilst we are exceptionally disappointed with the findings of the CQC report, we welcome the external scrutiny and have wasted no time in responding to the actions which have been identified as necessary.
"Many of the actions have been completed in the three months since the inspection took place. For example, our governance and risk processes are being overhauled including how we learn from incidents and respond to data collected nationally and locally. Elements of our assessment process needed further review which we have done and whilst our midwifery staffing levels have not declined, we are taking on board what the CQC has said and have already recruited 30 new midwives to ensure we continue to deliver the care women have come to expect from the Jessop Wing.
"We clearly have some improvements to make but we are encouraged by the feedback from families who use the service which is very positive and reflects the commitment of our staff to provide good care and more often than not go above and beyond what is required of them.”
Professor Chris Morley, Chief Nurse, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said:
“Whilst there is a focus quite rightly on what we need to improve I am also pleased that the inspectors found several areas of good practice and most importantly they recognised that Jessop Wing colleagues were focused on the needs of the women receiving care and that doctors, midwives and other healthcare professionals were working together as a team to benefit families. Medical staffing, including on site Consultant cover, was considered very good both in and out of hours and infection control and cleanliness was also of a good standard. They also commented that there was a culture where staff felt respected, valued and supported and that staff knew how to safeguard women and their babies. The teams in Jessop Wing are responding to this report with the commitment and professionalism we see every day and are completely focussed on continuing to deliver safe, good care to women and their babies. If any women or their partners have concerns following this inspection, then please do not hesitate to contact us on 0114 2268091 and the Jessop Wing team will be happy to provide assurance.”