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Posted on 4th April 2023
Following an inspection in January, the maternity services at St Peter’s Hospital were rated for the first time as a standalone service.
CQC Findings
Following the inspections carried out as part of the CQC’s national maternity services programme, the maternity services were rated as ‘inadequate,’ in their first inspection as a standalone service
The hospital, which is run by Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust, was found to have several issues. The trust has also been served a warning notice by the CQC, meaning the trust must take urgent action to ensure women and babies are not exposed to harm.
The inspectors found the following issues:
- Significant issues with risk assessments in triage. Women were not appropriately assessed upon arrival.
- Some medical staff had not completed some of the mandatory training.
- Staffing levels put women and babies at risk. Sickness and recruitment of staff were issues at the service.
- Gaps in infection prevention control measures.
- Safety incidents were not always progressed within the recommended time frames.
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Amy Jupp, CQC deputy director of operations in the south of England, said:
“It’s concerning that the quality and safety of maternity care at St Peter’s Hospital has deteriorated since our last inspection.
“Risk wasn’t always well managed in the service. This includes in the service’s triage, where staff didn’t always have enough time to appropriately assess, and action risks faced by women or to maintain accurate care records
“A factor behind this was the difficulty the service had in recruiting and retaining staff. While this is a problem affecting much of the NHS, leaders must find ways to ensure people’s care isn’t compromised by these staffing challenges.
Positive Feedback
As part of the report, the CQC did identify positive practices at St Peter’s Hospital.
- Medicines were managed well
- Staff worked hard, despite challenges faced such as low staffing levels.
- All clinical staff had emergency skills and drills training.
Have you been affected by poor maternity care at St Peter’s Hospital?
If you or a loved one has suffered from poor maternity care administered by St Peter’s Hospital, you should speak to a birth injury solicitor about your options for possible recourse.
You may be entitled to make a no-win, no-fee birth injury or medical negligence compensation claim to help you secure the funding, or the treatments required to put things right.
