Macclesfield District General Hospital

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

At our last assessment we did not rate this key question. At this assessment the rating has remained Good from the 2018 inspection.

This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect and staff demonstrated compassion and sensitivity. Patients felt involved in decisions, with staff using interpreters and communication aids to meet diverse needs. Workforce well-being was prioritised with positive staff feedback.

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Caring.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People who used the service told us they felt well cared for and praised staff for their kindness and compassion. Staff supported patients to understand and support their preferences and wishes.

Staff said colleagues were supportive and leaders and managers were visible and approachable.

Staff directed patients to other services when appropriate and, if required, supported them to access those services.

We saw good communication between clinicians regarding a patient which took place in a different area to maintain confidentiality.

The 2014 CQC maternity survey results for the service scored 9.4/10 for respect and dignity, 9.3 for kindness and compassion and 9.2 for confidence and trust in the staff caring for them during labour and birth.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Care records showed women’s individual need had been identified. We saw evidence of reasonable adjustments and planning for women with extra needs.

Interpretation services were offered to all including telephone, video and face-to-face interpretation.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Staff told us they discussed where they wished to give birth with the pregnant women and the guideline for women considering or planning a birth at home. The maternity service provided information and visits to the department to help patients choose the best place to give birth. Women who were high risk were given advice on the risks and were reviewed by a consultant.

The patients we spoke with told us their views were listened to, and they had chosen their care plans. This was confirmed by the CQC 2024 maternity survey where 8.1/10 were involved in decision about their care during labour and birth.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Women we spoke with told us they received pain relief when they asked for it and did not have to wait. We observed staff respond to the call system and when people came to ask for help, staff acted promptly.

The service had a specialist midwifery team to support vulnerable women with specialist support. There was a separate room where women could have privacy following a bereavement.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff had access to support for their own physical and emotional health needs through an occupational health service.

Staff felt respected, supported and valued by local and senior managers. Staff gave examples of how the mangers had supported them following their return to the trust when the maternity service restarted.

Most staff told use their workload was generally manageable, but it was not always possible to get hot food from the canteen due to the opening hours. Food was available from vending machines.