CQC national maternity survey published

The national survey highlights women's and families' views on all aspects of their maternity care from the first time they see a clinician or midwife, through to the care provided at home in the weeks following the arrival of their baby.

The survey took place in February 2023 and asked women about their experiences of care at three different stages of their maternity journey – antenatal care, labour and birth and postnatal care – and 230 people who accessed maternity care at Gloucestershire Hospitals took part.

The Trust was rated particularly highly for the following areas:

• Partners or someone else involved in the service user’s care were able to stay with them as much as they wanted during their stay in the hospital
• Women and birthing people could see or speak to a midwife as much as they wanted during their care after birth
• During antenatal check-ups, people were given enough information from either a midwife or doctor to help decide where to have their baby
• Women and their supporters were not left alone by midwives or doctors at times when it worried them during labour and birth
• People felt that if they raised a concern during labour and birth, it was taken seriously

Meanwhile, the Trust was rated less highly for the following areas:

• Being given appropriate information and advice on the risks associated with an induced labour, before being induced
• Being provided with relevant information, support and advice about feeding their baby, both during pregnancy and after the birth of their baby
  

Lisa Stephens, Director of Midwifery said:

"We welcome the annual CQC Maternity Survey as it gives us independent feedback about where our service users think we are providing outstanding care, and areas in which we need to improve.

“Our whole maternity team works very hard to provide the best care to women, babies, and families as we are all aware that having a baby is one of the most special times in a family’s life. I'd like to thank every member of our team for providing excellent care against what was a challenging background of staffing challenges last year.

"I am delighted that the survey showed that our team scored better than average in aspects such as treating people with kindness and understanding and the involvement of partners in labour and birth, as that is such a key element of the birth experience and something we have worked hard to ensure. For postnatal care, our high scores around being able to see a midwife whenever needed and feeling that the team were aware of the mother's and baby's medical history speak volumes about the personalised care we strive to deliver.

"In certain areas that were highlighted as areas where service users’ experience could improve, we are already working on improvement plans alongside our local Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) with a particular focus on feeding and induction.

“I’d like to thank everyone who responded to the survey, your feedback is so important to us as we continue to develop our services to meet your needs.”

The full results for England are available on the CQC website.