CQC upgrade Liverpool Women's Hospital maternity services after improvements
Maternity services at Liverpool Women’s University Hospital have been rated Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), improving on the previous rating of Requires Improvement.
The Care Quality Commission inspected the service between March and May, in part to follow up on whistle blowing concerns relating to the culture and leadership at the service. The concerns were not substantiated during the inspection.
The unannounced inspection also followed up on breaches of regulation - in relation to safe care and treatment, good management and staffing - which were found at the previous inspection last January. The hospital is no longer in breach of these regulations.
CQC nspectors rated the service Good for being Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well Led. They highlighted how staff demonstrated kindness and compassion when delivering care and that care and treatment was centred around the people who used the service and their needs. Leaders promoted a positive work culture and staff felt respected, supported and valued.
Liverpool Women’s Hospital remains rated as Good, while the rating of NHS Foundation Trust of the same name remains unchanged and is rated as requires improvement.
Karen Knapton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north west, said: “We were pleased to see that leaders and staff working in maternity services at Liverpool Women’s Hospital had acted on our feedback from the previous inspection and worked hard to make improvements.
“Women and people using this service now had a much safer and improved experience of their care and treatment. Behind this was an improvement in how well-led the service was which in turn supported staff to provide better care.
“For example, it was positive to hear that leaders had improved staffing levels. Women using the service told us there were enough staff to meet their needs, and they were treated with compassion and kindness.”
Jenny Hannon, Executive Managing Director of Liverpool Women’s University Hospital, said: “We are incredibly proud of our teams, improving their rating from Requires Improvement to Good is a fantastic achievement which reflects their hard work and commitment to delivering the best possible care to our patients and their families.
“I’m particularly pleased that inspectors highlighted the good teamwork they observed and that care was centred around the needs of our patients”.
The full report will be available on the CQC’s website here.