CQC downgrades two more NHS maternity units over patient safety concerns

The care watchdog have downgraded maternity services at two hospitals managed by East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust, after whistleblowers raised the alarm over a poor working culture and unsafe staffing levels.

The Care Quality Commission said services at Ipswich Hospital and Colchester Hospital ‘requires improvement’ after previously being rated ‘good’ following an inspection in March and April.

As well as finding staffing shortages at both hospitals, the regulator found that at Colchester Hospital, staff were using a handwritten book to manage inductions, which was being regularly moved and amended, meaning staff did not always know how many women were planned to arrive for inductions, affecting how staffing levels were organised.

At Ipswich Hospital, it was found that patient records were not detailed and staff were again having to rely on handwritten notes that were not easy to navigate. Staff complained that information systems were inefficient and took up too much time.

It also found that staff were not working as a team with meetings between midwives, doctors and other staff unstructured and poorly attended.

This is the second time in a week that maternity services have been downgraded at an NHS trust, following a recent damning review at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust, where services fell from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’, the lowest possible rating.

CQC’s head of hospital inspection Philippa Styles, said of the latest inspection “We received information from whistleblowers regarding staffing within maternity at Colchester Hospital. We are grateful to these whistleblowers as our inspection found the number of midwives and healthcare assistants were below levels required to keep women and babies safe.

“We also found a staff shortage at Ipswich Hospital. During the inspection, staff across both units told us they felt let down by a lack of oversight from the trust’s board and senior leadership team, who were slow to act when issues were raised.

“Some staff told us morale was low and they did not always feel respected, supported or valued by senior leaders. This affected the care they delivered.”

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