Maternity care survey - CQC

Recently, women and birthing people have provided valuable feedback to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) about maternity services across the country.

The survey asked people to think about their experiences of antenatal care, labour and birth and postnatal care.

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was pleased to have received a mostly positive response from the survey. The Trust scored within the top five Trusts for experiences in labour and birth and postnatal care at home.

The Trust also scored highest in the country for feeding your baby and support with breastfeeding.

Responses from women and birthing people across Swindon and Wiltshire showed the Trust was performing above the national average in the following areas:

• Women and birthing people being given enough information on induction before being induced
• Women and birthing people being given appropriate information and advice on the risks associated with an induced labour, before being induced
• Women and birthing people being able to get support or advice about feeding their baby during evenings, nights, or weekends, if they needed this
• Midwives or the doctor appearing to be aware of mothers' medical history during antenatal check-ups
• During pregnancy, women and birthing people receiving the help they needed when they contacted a midwifery team

Lisa Marshall, Director of Midwifery and Neonatal Services, said: “I am exceptionally proud of the responses we’ve seen from the CQC maternity care survey.

“The last 12 months have really shone a spotlight on maternity services across the UK, and rather than stepping back, our team have used this as an opportunity to really show how far they have come. They continue to drive forwards quality improvement work by always placing the family at the centre of their care.

“The team have made real advancements in the care they provide, including working as a multi-disciplinary perinatal team to give babies born prematurely a better start in life, providing dedicated care to families right through their birth journey and supporting those who sadly lose their babies.

“It is only through listening to the experiences of women, birthing people and their families that we can continue to improve our maternity services. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their feedback with us and the CQC.”

The Trust’s maternity team will now use the survey responses to identify areas that need further improvement, including postnatal mental health support and people being more involved in decisions during their labour.

You can read the full report on the Care Quality Commission website.