The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has today (Friday, 28 May) published reports on maternity services run by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
CQC inspected maternity provision at the trust’s Queen’s Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital, in April, assessing whether it had met the conditions of a warning notice CQC previously served
Last October, a CQC inspection found poor risk management in the services threatened mothers’ and babies’ safety. Following that inspection, CQC rated the services inadequate, served a warning notice and imposed conditions on the trust’s registration because information was not being used effectively to ensure people received the right care.
This latest inspection focused on the issues in the warning notice. It found some improvements had been made, however the trust still has some areas to address to ensure it comprehensively manages all risks to people’s safety.
Sarah Dunnett, CQC head of hospital inspection, said:
“I am pleased the trust has responded to some issues we raised in the warning notice following our previous inspection of its maternity services.
“However, it has more work to do regarding how it captures, records and uses patient information in these services so that staff have a full picture of people’s healthcare needs. This includes ensuring information about women who may be affected by serious mental health issues is appropriately escalated.
“We continue to monitor the trust closely, including through future inspections.”
As this inspection exclusively considered whether the trust has complied with the warning notice CQC served last year, it was not wide ranging enough to update any ratings. The trust remains rated good overall and its maternity services remain rated inadequate.
Following the inspection, CQC told Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust it must make two improvements in its maternity services at the Queen’s Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital:
- Completing risk assessments and management plans in line with policies to ensure patient safety.
- Using IT systems effectively to monitor and improve the quality of care offered.
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