Blackpool Victoria Hospital

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

We assessed 7 quality statements. The service mostly made sure women were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and staff decided, in partnership with women, how to respond to any relevant changes in women’s needs. The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. The service made it easy for women to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff and leaders actively listened to information about women who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

Although women’s care, treatment and support were accessible it was not always timely and in line with best practice. Care across the maternity pathway did not always support choice or continuity. The service supported women to plan for important life changes, but did not always ensure they had enough time to make informed decisions about their future.

At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating improved to good.

This service scored 68 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The trust had implemented a digital records system which allowed women to access their maternity records online. Records we saw showed that women’s needs were assessed and provided according to their individual needs. For example, women were made aware of their choices of place of birth, and this was clear in the record.

Staff told us that that they made adjustments to ensure women felt calm and were given additional time to process and understand information. For example, appointment times were extended for non-English speaking women to ensure there was enough time to effectively communicate important information.

The service complied with the Accessible Information Standard. For example, they identified, recorded, flagged, and shared any disability/sensory loss needs in the maternity records and ensured referrals to the complex needs team were timely. We observed various posters across the units that gave information in large print with pictures to aid communication. For example, posters in the triage unit used this format and directed women to report back to reception if they had not been seen within 15 minutes. Women could also request ‘easy read accessible resources’ such as patient information leaflets, maternity health and care passports and birth plans.

The service had 15 specialised midwives. This included a dedicated bereavement midwife. We found significant improvements had been made to facilities, including a newly renovated bereavement suite, opened in November 2024. There was a dedicated private room for postnatal debriefs and memory making packs were available for different religious faiths. The design of the bereavement room meant that families had a private, calm and supportive environment that was in line with national guidance. The service was in the process of building a private patio and parking for families to access the facility without the need to walk through other maternity areas being used by families.

The service now had a comprehensive bereavement training programme for staff, and this was mandatory for all midwives, neonatal nurses and students.

Women and famillies could access support in all areas of the hospital through bereavement champions. Women who had experienced early pregnancy loss could choose to attend a cremation service which was led by the chaplaincy team.

The service had a learning disability lead and a policy for staff to follow for care of women with learning disabilities. Staff we spoke with shared examples of how they managed the needs of women with a learning disability and how they were actively involved in care planning. Women could be entirely cared for on the delivery suite.

Staff ensured transitional care needs were accommodated on ward D with oversight of the neonatal unit. There were six transitional care rooms for babies needing treatments such as intravenous antibiotics and additional support.

The service had a reproductive trauma midwife who specialised and was trained to support women and families who had experienced reproductive trauma. This included birth trauma, miscarriage and stillbirth. Women could access support at home in a familiar environment. Therapies included cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR). Staff gave examples of how womens’ obstetric management plans were adapted to meet their needs following previous traumatic experiences. Staff reported that women showed really good progress towards treatment goals and were involved in formulating their maternity support plan.

However, some external partners and staff we spoke with told us that women often fedback they did not feel listened to, that care was inconsistent and not always person centered. This was reported to be more common on ward D. This concurred with results from the recent CQC maternity survey in December 2024, which showed a decline in satisfaction for postnatal care received on the ward and at home after birth.

The results from the CQC maternity survey showed that 19 out of 55 questions ranged from ‘much worse than expected’ to ‘somewhat worse than expected’ compared to other trusts. The remaining 36 questions were ‘about the same’ as other trusts. Women reported mixed experiences with staff interactions, and this had a significant impact on women’s overall experience. Women often felt unsupported throughout the pathway and particularly during their postnatal stay.

In response to the CQC maternity survey results, leaders immediately implemented a quality care review of ward D. This included a full care review of 21 women and babies on the ward and an action plan to drive improvement. The inpatient matron and patient engagement team had undertaken daily visits on the ward to speak with women and families. Staff now completed intentional rounding every two hours to monitor women's needs. Women we spoke with told us that staff had asked them if they needed support with personal care, pain relief and had offered food and drinks.

Feedback from external partners, staff and women who used the service was mixed. External partners and staff we spoke with told us that continuity of care was an area that needed improvement. They told us that women regularly described a negative experience such as having appointments with different midwives and staff had not always read their medical notes beforehand. This meant that some women had to repeat information numerous times to different clinicians which sometimes included trauma and loss.

Women who accessed the reproductive trauma service had maternity support plans in place. The plans outlined what adjustments should be in place for their antenatal and postnatal care. However, staff told us that women fed back frustration that staff did not always read the support plan and comply with the adjustments they had chosen. This was more common for women receiving post-natal care.

This concurred with results from the CQC maternity survey in December 2024 and Healthwatch engagement in March 2024. The CQC survey showed the areas for most improvement included postnatal care on the ward after birth - ‘partner or someone else close to service being able to stay as much as the service user wanted’. In response to this the service had extended visiting hours so partners could stay for 24 hours. Other areas with most improvement needed was care after birth - ‘receiving help and advice from a midwife about feeding the baby, the health of the baby, being aware of medical history and frequency of speaking to a midwife’.

Healthwatch had engaged with 38 women and families to gain feedback about their experience of maternity and neonatal services. The maternity and neonatal matters report from May 2024 showed that experience was varied. The report concluded that “some women shared they received outstanding care from supportive staff, whilst others were left feeling disappointed, and in some instances traumatised, by their experiences”. Negative feedback mainly related to a lack of support, poor communication and not feeling believed or heard by professionals.

However, the service actively engaged with families to understand the changing needs of those using the service. There were a number of events held by Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) which is a group of parents, volunteers and professionals who work together to help shape and develop maternity services. Feedback was collected by MNVP to help the service understand the diverse health and care needs within the community.

External partners and stakeholders shared examples of good practice. For example, engagement with the asylum seeker community, targeted work around smoke free pregnancy, families with children born into care and virtual clinic appointments.

The service had 15 specialist midwives to support women and their diverse health and care needs. We saw examples of support plans in place for women who had a learning disability or who were autistic.

Staff recognised that for parents whose babies have been stillborn or died shortly after birth, a subsequent pregnancy can be very daunting, and these parents often needed extra support throughout their pregnancy. Staff we spoke with said the service did not provide a specialist ‘rainbow service’ to offer extra support to women throughout their pregnancy. They told us that this could provide better continuity of care and would reduce the need for women to repeat information about their previous miscarriage or stillbirth to various healthcare professionals.

Signage and information for women was sufficient to enable easy navigation throughout the service.

We saw health promotion posters displayed and signposting to advocate services. There were leaflets available in public areas, for example, labour options, breach births, consent and vaccinations. In addition, there was information for new fathers and signposting to support in groups or one-to-one sessions.

The trust website was comprehensive and included accessibility tools to facilitate navigation and information was available in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille.

Arrangements were in place for women who needed translation services. The service provided a British sign language (BSL) interpreter by appointment, interpreters by phone, face to face or via video link for women and families whose first language was not English, and portable hearing loops were installed at reception areas.

Staff we spoke with were aware of the main three languages spoken in the local community other than English. Although we did not see many information leaflets in public areas in different languages these were available at request. Staff told us that domestic violence notices in the outpatient areas were printed in the six most common second languages. The reduced fetal movements leaflet was available in multiple second languages.

Staff we spoke with told us women who attended the gestational diabetes clinic, were often non-English speaking. They had experienced some difficulties using the telephone translation service and said that face to face translation would be more effective, particularly at the initial appointment.

Women we spoke with told us they felt they received sufficient information in a way they understood, to make informed choices.

We saw many posters and leaflets available throughout the units that gave women information on how to give feedback on their care or make a complaint.

The trust complaint procedure was clearly explained on the trust website. Women could submit complaints and feedback using an online form, by telephone or in writing, to the patient relations team. Responses were provided in writing and women were offered the opportunity to meet to discuss their complaint face to face.

Staff we spoke with were familiar with the trust's complaints policy and understood what duty of candour meant. We saw examples of incident investigations which involved women, and their families and reports were shared with them when completed. The service monitored data on when duty of candour had been required following investigations involving MNSI and the Early Notification (EN) scheme. Data provided by the service showed 100% compliance with requirements from April 2023 to March 2025.

The trust invited women and their families to provide feedback using the friends and family test (FFT) in paper format, via a QR code and in different languages. Women had also been invited back to visit ward D in February 2025 to observe changes that had been made following the quality review in December 2024. For example, women now had a named midwife and staff completed intentional rounding’s every two hours to assess women’s needs. Feedback was positive and demonstrated that improvements had been made.

FFT results from December 2024 indicated 96% of 99 respondents on ward D, and 80% of 15 respondents on delivery suite, said their experience was good.

Although satisfaction scores for delivery suite improved in February 2025, results for ward D went down. Data showed that 82% of 114 respondents said their experience was good. Senior leaders acknowledged there was still work to be done for improvements to be made.

The service worked with the MNVP lead who worked alongside four volunteers. They engaged with women in the community and in hospital to gain feedback. This included vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups. For example, they visited a local hotel to visit asylum seekers to gain their feedback. They attended baby and toddler groups in the community, visited maternity units and wards and used regular surveys and social media to gain feedback.

The service had gained feedback from women on ward D through the local Healthwatch service. This was mainly positive. They collected feedback from 11 women on ward D in February 2025. Most women said they felt comfortable speaking with staff on the ward when asking questions about their care. Most women received medication when needed and rated the quality of care positively. They often described staff as friendly, caring, and supportive. Women also gave positive feedback about the extended visiting hours.

A further visit of ward D had taken place by the Healthwatch service in March 2025 and reported that 9 out of 10 women were very satisfied with their care and one woman stated somewhat satisfied with their care. Areas of improvement were noted, this included more consistent staff support with breastfeeding.

In the last 12 months, there were 27 formal complaints. 24 were related to concerns about treatment and care. Other themes concerned communication and accuracy of information provided. These themes were incorporated into the total quality care review action plan. Incidents and complaints were reviewed every three months and shared with staff.

Complaint responses we looked at included sincere apologies and provided examples of specific practice and procedures that had been or would be improved to avoid the same issue from reoccurring. The complaint response letters included an overview of the lessons learnt and what actions had been taken.

Although women’s care, treatment and support were accessible it was not always timely and in line with best practice. For example, there were delays in IOL and women were not always seen in a timely way by a doctor in triage. Audit data for September 2024 showed that only 52% of women met the target for being reviewed by a doctor in under two hours. In October and November 2024 this figure was 48% and 50% respectively. No subsequent data was provided for December 2024 to February 2025. Managers had acknowledged issues with poor documentation for ongoing care and doctor reviews. They shared the outcomes and actions from the audits with staff to drive improvement.

The service did not record or audit running times of antenatal clinics and when women were seen in relation to their appointment time. The trust explained women who attended antenatal clinic were seen according to clinical need or at the relevant gestation. If a clinic was full then staff overbooked the clinic or gave them an appointment in an alternative clinic to ensure they were seen at the correct time.

Staff we spoke with told us that ‘overspill’ from antenatal clinic occurred frequently, as the ultrasound appointments and consultant appointments were not within the same time frame, even when they were scheduled on the same day. Staff said that additional referrals, for example, from ultrasound for scan review, bloods, CTG or discussions about mode of delivery, impacted significantly on the pre-booked appointments and waiting times. Staff we spoke with told us some women waited over four hours to have their scan reviewed.

However, the service was compliant with the trust target of 30 minute triage time for women being assessed by a midwife. Audit data for the period October to December 2024, showed 99% of women were triaged within 30 minutes of arrival. The trust also had a target of over 80% of women receiving an initial assessment within 15 minutes. This target had been achieved for five consecutive months. Women who breached the initial triage assessment (over 30 minutes) averaged a waiting time of 49 minutes.

Women could access the service when they needed. The service was open 24 hours a day all year round. The service worked with other healthcare professionals to provide support for different healthcare needs and serious conditions needing specialist input.

Women with higher risks due to a protected characteristic or at risk of health inequalities were identified at antenatal booking appointments. The service provided data that showed between April and December 2024, 723 referrals were made to the complex social needs team and 365 referrals were made to the perinatal mental health services.

The service used feedback to improve access for women more likely to experience barriers or delays in accessing their care. The MNVP team engaged with women from the most deprived postcodes, asylum seekers and women from other ethnic minority groups.

The service had physical premises and equipment that were accessible for all women including those with a disability. Staff gave examples of reasonable adjustments they had made to overcome barriers to ensure equal access. For example, women with additional needs were given a tour of the maternity theatre prior to their surgical procedure to familiarise with the environment.

In March 2025, 93% of women were booked into the service by 12 weeks and 6 days gestation. This figure was consistently over 90% for the previous 6 months.

Review of the national maternity dashboard from February 2024 to February 2025 showed that 33% of mothers were in the most deprived decile. The national average was 14%.

In response to the needs of local families, the trust had recruited additional specialist midwives. These included a maternal medicine midwife who provided one stop clinics for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics, to provide better oversight and management plans.

Routine postnatal care was individualised depending on the mode of delivery for the baby. Contact telephone numbers were provided for 24 hours a day access and advice from the maternity unit.

The local area had the highest rate of children born into care. The service worked with the local university on the ‘born into care’ initiative. For example, when a baby was separated from its mother at birth due to safeguarding concerns, the service provided ‘hope’ boxes in line with best practice. These provided keepsakes for women who leave hospital without a baby.

Staff we spoke with also told us about ongoing outreach work with asylum seekers refugees and vulnerable, difficult to reach groups. For example, the homeless, substance misusers and women held in custody.

Staff gave examples of how they made adjustments to support women who were neurodivergent or had additional learning needs. This included the use of information passports, allocation of quiet side rooms or playing music for women who find this soothing. Staff also gave examples of how they had adapted the language they used for those who were transgender and had followed a birth plan specific to meet their needs.

We saw processes in place that were led by specialist staff to support families through times when significant decisions needed to be made. There was specialised fetal medicine support for pregnancies with complications and advanced decision making and planning for babies born with life shortening conditions.

Women could access specialist mental health and reproductive trauma support. Specialist midwives developed support plans with women during pregnancy and after childbirth.

Staff attended multi-disciplinary meetings throughout the pregnancy with other agencies in order to ensure all available support was in place ahead of time.

The service provided information and clinics to support women to plan for various outcomes including multiple births, high risk pregnancies and for women who were vulnerable or required enhanced care and treatment.

The newly remodelled bereavement Swan Suite opened in December 2024, and provided a private, supportive environment for parents grieving the loss of a baby. Although support for bereaved parents had improved, staff identified that there were significant delays in sharing results of perinatal mortality reviews with families. The delays ranged from two to three months and this impacted on parents being able to plan for their future.