South Tees NHS Trust maternity services must improve, inspectors say
South Tees NHS Trust have been told to make "improvements" to their maternity services.The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough and The Friarage in Northallerton were inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in August 2023.
The report found both sites struggled with staff shortages and leadership issues.Overstretched midwives are struggling to give mothers and babies the care they need, the CQC suggests.
Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC's deputy director of secondary and specialist care, said: “When we visited maternity services at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, we found leaders were generally visible and approachable for staff, as well as women, people using the service and their babies.
"However they didn’t always understand and manage the priorities both maternity services faced in a timely way.
“At the Friarage Hospital, the maternity unit was sometimes closed for births as staff were required to work at The James Cook University Hospital instead, due to low staffing levels. This made it difficult for people to plan a birth there.
“We found areas of concern at The James Cook University Hospital. For example, there was no birthing pool on the delivery suite or on the midwifery led unit. Staff used a standard bath instead of a birthing pool, which was unsafe and was putting people at risk due to the design of the room and the bath. Once this was highlighted to the trust, they stopped immediately.
“Leaders were also highly responsive and engaging in relation to other concerns we raised with them during the inspection and acted promptly to improve the standard of care they were providing.
“We will continue to monitor both services, so the trust can build on where it’s providing good care and make improvements where they’re needed.”
Inspectors, who gave the maternity unit a "requires improvement" rating, also found several areas of "outstanding" practice.
Both hospitals and the Trust remain rated as "good" overall.
Friarage Hospital
What did the inspectors think the hospital struggled with?
The service did not always have enough midwifery staff, or they were frequently redeployed to The James Cook University Hospital.
Leaders did not operate effective governance systems. They did not consistently monitor the effectiveness of the service and did not always manage risk well.
What did the inspectors think the hospital did successfully?
Staff understood how to protect woman and people using the service from abuse, and managed safety well.
Staff assessed risks to woman and people using the service, acted on them and kept good care records.
James Cook University Hospital
What did the inspectors think the hospital struggled with?
The service did not always have enough staff and staffing levels did not always match planned numbers, which could put safety of women, people using the service and their babies at risk.
There were various aspects of the environment that were not fit for purpose. This had implications for safety, efficiency, privacy and dignity.
Staff assessed risks to people but did not always act on them to remove or minimise risks.
What did the inspectors think the hospital did successfully?
The service generally managed infection risks well.
The service engaged with people and the community to plan and manage services.
Managers generally made sure staff were competent, and staff were focused on the needs of people receiving care.
South Tees NHS Trust have said that they are already working on making changes outlined in the report.
Dr Deepika Meneni, clinical director for the trust’s maternity services said: “The safety of those in our care is always our top priority and every member of our maternity team is dedicated to providing the best possible care.
"We are proud of our team for the hard work, professionalism and caring attitude that they show each day."
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