Blackwater Law successfully represented the family of baby Blake in making a midwife negligence claim after the community midwife failed to notice a severe medical abnormality.
Posted on 26th July 2023
The maternity units at Peterborough City Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital are currently the only two maternity units in the entirety of the East of England that are rated as ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission.
CQC Ratings
Both maternity units are now rated as ‘good,’ after receiving upgrades from ‘requires improvement’ when they were recently reviewed by the CQC.
The new and improved ratings mean that according to CQC data, analysed by Blackwater Law, the two maternity units are currently the only units rated as ‘good,’ in the entirety of the East of England. Currently, there are no maternity units in the region ranked as ‘Outstanding.’
Analysing the CQC’s latest data, revealing the current ratings across the East of England, the two Cambridgeshire maternity units stand out.
Cause for Concern
The East of England Region has 16 maternity units that are rated by the CQC. Other than Peterborough City Hospital and Hinchingbrooke, all are rated as either ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate.’
Both maternity units, which are operated by North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, received their ratings after CQC inspectors found improvements from their previous visits, including improvements made to staff training and skills, as well as engagement with the community and how well they worked together.
Head of Medical Negligence at Blackwater Law, Jason Brady, had this to say:
“It is concerning that there are only two maternity units in the whole region that are rated as ‘good’ and that for the majority of new mothers in the East of England, they do not have access to maternity wards that are up to the standards set by the CQC.
It is however encouraging that there appear to be improvements with the maternity units at Peterborough City Hospital and Hinchingbrooke.”
Current CQC Ratings* – Correct as of 13/07/23.
*Please note, these are all available ratings currently provided for the East of England, as defined by the CQC. There may be other hospital sites providing maternity services that do not currently have a rating from CQC.
| Southend University Hospital | Southend-on-Sea | Requires improvement |
| Basildon University Hospital | Essex | Requires improvement |
| Broomfield Hospital | Essex | Requires improvement |
| Luton and Dunstable Hospital | Luton | Requires improvement |
| Bedford Hospital | Bedford | Requires improvement |
| The Queen Elizabeth Hospital | Norfolk | Requires improvement |
| Colchester General Hospital | Essex | Requires improvement |
| The Ipswich Hospital | Suffolk | Requires improvement |
| Peterborough City Hospital | Peterborough | Good |
| Hinchingbrooke Hospital | Cambridgeshire | Good |
| James Paget Hospital | Norfolk | Inadequate |
| West Suffolk Hospital | Suffolk | Requires improvement |
| Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital | Norfolk | Requires improvement |
| The Princess Alexandra Hospital | Essex | Requires improvement |
| Watford General Hospital | Hertfordshire | Requires improvement |
| Lister Hospital | Hertfordshire | Inadequate |
Expert birth injury solicitors
Blackwater Law medical negligence solicitors are experienced in advising clients in relation to claiming compensation for injuries and ailments sustained during birth. This includes injuries to the mother, baby or negligence caused by a midwife.
The experience and reputation of the team at Blackwater Law mean they are approached for advice by families across the country. Our team is accredited by the Legal 500. It is recognised as one of the leading teams of medical negligence lawyers in the South East.
