Chesterfield Royal Hospital maternity services rated 'good' by CQC

Inspectors visited the hospital in May and published their findings today (July 26) which found that the maternity unit was good; the hospital as a whole remains rated as ‘requires improvement’ with the rating not reviewed at this latest visit.

All areas of the unit were visited - including the antenatal clinic, pregnancy assessment unit, and the postnatal ward - with inspectors speaking to 30 members of staff and receiving feedback from 230 visitors to the ward.

The report found staff; were well trained in key skills; worked well together; felt respected, supported and valued; and understood how to protect women and birthing people from abuse.

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However, despite staffing levels in excess of the national guidance across the unit, staffing levels did not always match the planned numbers putting the safety of women and birthing people and babies at risk.

Krishna Kallianpur, chief nurse, said: “This is great news for the Trust and something we are very proud to announce. It is incredibly challenging for Trusts to reach this standard of care in maternity services and is testament to a lot of hard work by colleagues at all levels.

“I am particularly pleased that the CQC recognised and highlighted such a positive culture where colleagues feel respected, supported and valued. It’s important to all of us across the Trust to be able to raise concerns without fear and this, too, was raised as a positive with leaders being visible and approachable.

“Our goal is for continuous improvement and development, so working with organisations such as Derbyshire Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership and directly with our communities, I feel we can continue to learn and develop and continue to strive as well as celebrate this achievement together.”

The inspectors also recognised the leadership team’s skills and abilities of colleagues managing the service.

Dr Hal Spencer, chief executive, said: “It’s great to see that the CQC saw the service was there for people when they needed us and all colleagues were committed to improving to ensure people receive a high standard of care. It is a huge positive for Chesterfield Royal Hospital especially against the challenges maternity care is facing nationally.”