Stroud Maternity Hospital Also known as Stroud Maternity Unit

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

This is the first inspection since maternity became a standalone service group. This key question was not included in the 2023 inspection of maternity services. This key question has been rated good.

This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

We have not awarded this service a score for Responsive.

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

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Women received care tailored to their needs. Staff told us they discussed birthing plans with them, ensuring these reflected individual needs and preferences. Women had access to their electronic records. Records included risk assessments for domestic abuse, deprivation, and substance use where relevant.

Women were referred to appropriate health and social care professionals as needed, and the mental health team confirmed there were clear referral pathways for specialist support.

Transitional care pathway for babies who required additional needs was in place at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Following birth at Stroud Maternity Hospital if staff felt the baby required additional support they would be transferred to this location. Care was provided by the neonatal unit, delivery suite, and the postnatal ward. This was part of the Avoiding Term Admissions into Neonatal units (ATAIN) programme. This is a UK-wide NHS initiative to reduce preventable admissions of full-term babies (born at 37+ weeks) to neonatal units, focusing on keeping mothers and babies together by improving basic care and identifying risks in areas such as respiratory distress, jaundice, hypoglycaemia, and asphyxia. Information for women and their family/partners was available on the website about transitional care.

Women were able to access support from bereavement midwives based at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. They were able to provide clear, individual options for the disposal of pregnancy remains, following the death of their baby including burial or cremation. This approach demonstrated respect for personal preferences and cultural considerations.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

Staff completed mandatory training which covered equality, diversity and inclusion and could seek advice from senior staff or the professional midwifery advocate (PMA) when needed.

Women received continuity of care before and after birth. Staff completed handovers, shared records, and referred women to community midwives on discharge. The trust monitored 1 to 1 care in labour, and at Stroud Maternity Hospital women received 1 to 1 care.

Women and their families had access to information on how to raise concerns, with clear information displayed in patient areas. Staff understood the complaints process, and managers investigated issues, identified themes, and shared learning to improve the service.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

The service complied with the Accessible Information Standard and maintained confidentiality of patient records.

Staff provided clear, accessible information on treatments, local services, patient rights, and complaints processes. These were displayed on noticeboards and available in multiple languages.

Information posters included images representing diverse ethnic groups to help ensure all women and their families felt the service promoted equitable care.

Signage to the maternity unit was clear, and information was offered in understandable formats.

Interpretation services were available and used confidently by staff, supported by translation technology on the trust’s website and intranet. The maternity webpage included practical resources, though some content was outdated and did not reflect the closure of the Cheltenham birthing unit since 2022.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. They involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

Senior staff told us Stroud Maternity Hospital had received one complaint in October 2025, and this was investigated and outcome shared in 28 days just under the target of 30 days.

The trust had analysed patient experience data. Senior staff undertook a thematic analysis of maternity experience insight data. This reviewed complaints, national experience surveys and friends and family test results from June 2024 to July 2025. This identified areas of good practice and where improvements were needed. One of the areas they will be looking to improve was feedback from women whose first language was not English and to engage more with local population and communities.

Women told us they felt able to ask questions and discuss their birthing plans with staff. All felt very well supported by the staff at Stroud Maternity Hospital.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service made sure that people could access the care, support, and treatment they needed when they needed it.

Women were able to access maternity services provided by the trust. The trust monitored the number of women booking their pregnancy by 10 weeks and by 13 weeks. Data up to August 2025 showed they were within the standard deviation. Once booked, women were sent antenatal and scan appointments at the timed intervals. Information on how to contact the triage unit and other health care professionals was provided on the trust’s website.

Women were assessed against strict clinical criteria to determine their suitability to give birth at Stroud Maternity Hospital, in line with the requirements for a midwife‑led unit.

Women over 16 weeks pregnant were able to contact the triage unit if they had any concerns about their pregnancy at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. This was open 24/7 and women could call the advice line to speak with maternity staff who would advise them on the action they needed to take. There was access to medical care at the triage unit but at times women had to wait a long time to access this care.

Induction of labour (IOL) was not provided at Stroud Maternity Hospital and women had to attend Gloucestershire Royal Hospital maternity unit.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

Staff within the service and the wider organisation encouraged women using the service to give their views.

As part of their mandatory training staff received training in equality, diversity, inclusion, and human rights.

Staff at Stroud Maternity Hospital used demonstration dolls for example, to show women how to change a nappy and hold the baby safely, with diverse skin tones to ensure training materials reflected the local population and promoted culturally inclusive care. This approach was intended to help women and their families feel represented and reassured that the service was committed to providing equitable support.

Senior staff reviewed monthly dashboard data on ethnicity and deprivation among women giving birth to inform service planning. The trust had fewer mothers from the most deprived deciles at booking compared to the national average (8% in the most deprived and 4% in the second decile versus 14% and 13% nationally). A higher proportion of women were White (81% compared to 63% nationally), with lower representation from Asian or Asian British and Black or Black British groups than national averages.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

Staff worked in partnership with women regarding decisions about their care and treatment and their future.

Stroud Maternity Hospital did not have a bereavement suite. Women requiring bereavement care were referred to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, where specialist midwives provided support and information, including guidance on funerals and postmortems. Senior staff planned to introduce bereavement training for all staff to improve how families were supported following the loss of a baby. Information for women experiencing baby loss was available on the trust’s website.