Hospital Trust Directed to Enhance Maternity Care Standards

An inspection has determined that maternity care requires “rapid improvement” following an investigation into services at a Birmingham hospital. The probe revealed that training had been compromised to address staff shortages, and equipment checks were found to be insufficient. Maternity care at City Hospital, which is part of Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, has seen its overall rating decline from “good” to “requires improvement”. The safety rating for these services specifically dropped from “good” to “inadequate”. The hospital’s maternity department has since relocated to the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Smethwick, as part of a planned reorganization of healthcare delivery in the area, which included the closure of City Hospital. Nevertheless, The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued a warning to the trust, demanding that “significant” progress in standards be achieved. The trust affirmed that it had completed all actions requested by the CQC and expressed confidence in providing a “safe and holistic service”. The inspection at City Hospital, which closed earlier this month, took place in June. The CQC indicated that the inspection was partly prompted by concerns from whistle-blowers regarding a poor culture, staff shortages, and investigations into serious incidents. Inspectors observed that women, babies, and service-users “did not always receive care in line with national guidance”. Charlotte Rudge, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, stated that staffing presented a “significant problem” within the service. She noted that many staff members had to cancel their training to cover shortages, which could potentially put people at risk. Inspectors also raised concerns about both the environment and equipment within the department, highlighting that daily checks of life-saving equipment were not “effectively carried out”. “We issued the trust with a warning notice to focus their attention on making improvements to maternity services,” Ms Rudge said. “Since the inspection they’ve produced an action plan to address our concerns, and have completed all actions.” The inspection found that staff were not consistently “appropriately trained,” and some policies at the trust were out of date. However, feedback had been utilized in efforts to enhance standards, with staff demonstrating awareness of escalation pathways and “consistently” documenting risk factors in people’s records. Ms Rudge added that staff had been “working hard” to implement systems aimed at ensuring better care and fostering equality, diversity, and inclusion. “We’ll be monitoring this service closely, including through further inspections, to make sure people receive safe care while these improvements are implemented,” she said. Mel Roberts, chief nursing officer at the hospital, acknowledged that their maternity service “was not where we wanted it to be.” She stated that an external review was conducted in addition to the CQC’s scrutiny. “All actions in that plan have now been completed and environmental complaints have been addressed following our whole service move to a brand new home in the new Midland Met University Hospital,” she added. She further remarked, “Our service is unrecognisable from that described in the report.“ “Whilst there is always more to do, we are confident that we provide a safe and holistic service, putting the needs of our families first and engaging our workforce to be proud in the service they deliver,” she concluded.