- NHS hospital
Queens Hospital
Assessment report published 7 November 2025
Ratings - Maternity
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 16 December 2024. This was an unannounced assessment to review compliance against the urgent enforcement action we took in August 2023.
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust provide maternity services for women in Derbyshire at Royal Derby and Queen’s Hospital. This service was last inspected in August 2023 and was required to take urgent action to as the Commission believed a person will or may be exposed to the risk of harm if we did not do so.
The service did not have a coordinated approach for the care they provided. Visible leadership by the obstetric medical team was poor which meant appropriate actions and prompt responses to issues with the service were delayed at times. We were concerned that the system in place to identify, escalate and manage women, birthing women and their babies who require induction of labour was ineffective and not in line with national guidance. Handovers of care were also ineffective as the Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation (SBAR) tool was not fully completed or entered in to care records.
However, the trust had met some of the conditions placed on their registration at the inspection in August 2023. Senior midwives were in post, hourly ‘fresh eyes’ were completed hourly during intrapartum care, audits of PPH and MOH were completed monthly. Midwives had completed annual mandatory fetal monitoring training.
The culture within the service did not always promote the values of the trust or support staff to speak up. Whilst leaders had the required knowledge and experience, they did not promote a culture where staff felt empowered to speak up and/or raise concerns.
People's experience of this service
Women and any family or carers with them were all positive about the staff treating them with warmth and kindness and providing effective care and treatment.
Records showed they were given the tests they needed usually promptly, and they felt staff were on hand if they needed them for help or support. Women said they did not feel anxious about raising concerns