Updated
27 August 2026
We assessed Stroud Maternity Hospital on the 16 September 2025.
We assessed 1 assessment service group at this location to review the progress made following our last inspection in December 2023 where we found breaches of Regulations 12 and 17. We found the service had made improvements since the last inspection.
Stroud Maternity Hospital is part of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and they were registered with CQC in April 2010 to deliver the regulated activities: Assessment or medical treatment for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, Diagnostic and screening procedures, Management of supply of blood and blood derived products, Maternity and midwifery services, Surgical procedures, Termination of pregnancies, Treatment of disease, disorder or injury. The service has a Nominated Individual.
At this assessment we assessed the Maternity assessment service group. We assessed 30 quality statements across the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions.
We visited the following areas as part of the assessment: Antenatal clinic, birthing rooms and closed postnatal beds.
We refer to women in this report, but we recognise that some transgender men, non-binary people, and people with variations in sex characteristics (VSC) or who are intersex may also use services and experience some of the same issues.
Updated
15 September 2025
Date of assessment: 16 September 2025
We conducted an on-site, comprehensive assessment of maternity services provided by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at Stroud Maternity Hospital. At our last focused inspection in December 2023, where we looked at elements of safe and well-led maternity services were rated as requires improvement. We found breaches of Regulations 12 and 17.
At this assessment we assessed all quality statements from the safe, effective, responsive, caring, and well-led key questions.
We found maternity services had improved from requires improvement to good.
The number of births recorded from November 2024 to October 2025 for Stroud Maternity Hospital was 87.
Safe:
Staff were trained in safeguarding to ensure women and their babies were protected from abuse. Women received 1 to 1 care during labour, and staff assessed each woman’s suitability to give birth at this location to support safe care. While incident investigations were sometimes delayed, and pharmacy support was not available, the service was taking steps to strengthen these areas.
Effective:
Women’s needs were assessed and reviewed, including communication, personal, and health requirements. Care was delivered in line with current evidence and best practice. Individuals had adequate nutrition and hydration, and staff worked with partner agencies to ensure continuity of care and positive outcomes. Health was monitored to support wellbeing, and staff provided clear information to enable informed consent.
Caring:
Women and their families were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff respected privacy and dignity, supported individual preferences, and ensured choice in care. Staff responded promptly to needs. The service mostly supported staff wellbeing.
Responsive:
Women were involved in decisions about their care and received clear, accessible information. They understood how to provide feedback and were confident it would be acted upon. Care was accessible, fair, and non-discriminatory. The service worked to reduce health inequalities through training and feedback, and women were informed of their options, including the right to decline care.
Well led:
Leaders were developing a new strategy to guide staff. Not all senior leaders were visible or approachable. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Managers engaged with the local community to improve care and demonstrated openness to new ideas.