RUH maternity services rated highly by women in CQC survey

A recent survey of women's experiences of maternity services at 130 Trusts in England has rated The Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH) NHS Foundation Trust as better than most other Trusts across a range of measures.

The findings are included in the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 2017 Survey of Women's Experience of Maternity Care. The survey looked at the whole experience of maternity care, from ante-natal care through to labour and birth, care in hospital after birth and care at home after the birth.

The RUH scored better than the national average in seven areas, including achieving the highest survey score possible for "When you were at home after the birth of your baby, did you have a telephone number for a midwife or midwifery team that you could contact?"

Other aspects where the Trust was rated as amongst the top performing Trusts included: 'During your pregnancy, if you contacted a midwife, were you given the help you needed?', 'At the very start of your labour, did you feel that you were given appropriate advice and support when you contacted a midwife or the hospital?' and 'Thinking about your care during labour and birth, were you treated with respect and dignity?'

Bernie Marden, Head of the RUH Women and Children's Division, said: "We deliver almost 5000 babies a year to mothers at home, at the RUH, or our Birthing Centres. Every birth is unique and we strive to provide the best experience for each woman. These are very encouraging results and an endorsement of the continuing care and professionalism of our staff towards women and their families. We will examine the information from the survey and identify any areas where we can further improve the services we provide."

Amanda Gell, Senior Matron at the RUH, said: "It's especially pleasing to see that women rated the Trust so highly on providing care with 'respect and dignity' – women tell us how much this matters and we take this very seriously, so it's great to see our approach is working. We also recognise the important role of partners and families in helping women have a positive experience, so it's good to see that acknowledged in our above-average rating for involving partners or others in care during labour and birth."

The Trust also made improvements across a number of measures since the 2015 survey.

The 2017 Maternity Survey is part of a national survey programme run by the CQC to collect feedback on the experiences of people using a range of NHS healthcare services across the country.

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

2017 survey of women's experiences of maternity care

The Trust scored better than the national average on the following measures:

• During your pregnancy, if you contacted a midwife, were you given the help you needed?
• At the very start of your labour, did you feel that you were given appropriate advice and support when you contacted a midwife or the hospital?
• If your partner or someone else close to you was involved in your care during labour and birth, were they able to be involved as much as they wanted?
• Thinking about your care during labour and birth, were you treated with respect and dignity?
• When you were at home after the birth of your baby, did you have a telephone number for a midwife or midwifery team that you could contact?
• If, during evenings, nights or weekends, you needed support or advice about feeding your baby, were you able to get this?
• Did a midwife tell you that you would need to arrange a postnatal check-up of your own health with your GP? (Around 6-8 weeks after the birth)

Download printable version