Shropshire maternity services 'on par or better' than other trusts in England, according to new survey

Maternity services at the Shropshire NHS trust at the centre of an inquiry into baby deaths are on par or better than other trusts in England, according to a survey of more than 150 women.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) sent questionnaires to all women who gave birth at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust in February last year.

Nationally, 17,151 women responded, including 151 who gave birth at SaTH, which runs Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

They were asked about their experiences of care during labour and birth, as well as the quality of antenatal and postnatal support they received.

Based on their responses, the CQC gave each NHS trust a score out of 10 for each question, and rated them against how they compared to other trusts.

SaTH scored 8/10 or higher in 73 per cent of the questions asked.

This included receiving appropriate advice and support at the start of labour; having skin-to-skin contact with the baby shortly after birth; concerns being taken seriously once raised; and being treated with respect and dignity during labour and birth.

The trust also scored above an eight for giving women the information and explanations they needed after the birth, and staff treating them with kindness and understanding.

Important

Its results were better than most other trusts in four questions regarding discharge delays and postnatal care, which included feeding advice.

Nicola Wenlock, director of midwifery at SaTH, said: “Mums under our care said they were confident in the people looking after them, which is really important for any new mum.

"They told the CQC they were treated with dignity and respect, that their concerns were listened to and that they were able to get the help they needed if they needed it.

“This feedback is really pleasing to hear and I want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to take part in this survey, particularly at such as special, and very busy time in their lives.

“There are areas in the survey which show the need for further improvement and we will continue to work on all areas to ensure we give mums, babies and families in our care the best possible experience.”

It comes as maternity services at the trust are the subject of an independent inquiry launched by the Government in 2017.

The number of cases involved in the inquiry has now risen to 900, stretching back 40 years.

A leaked report into the inquiry last year revealed a catalogue of concerns and that dozens of babies and mothers are thought to have died or been left disabled due to poor care at the trust.

Paula Clark, interim chief executive at SaTH, said the trust remains committed to working with the review and improvements have been made.

Any families with concerns can contact the Ockenden review by emailing maternityreview@donnaockenden.com