University Hospitals Dorset maternity wards 'worse than expected'

Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated the inpatient maternity ward at UHD as being one of seven trusts to be ‘worse than expected’. 

UHD said the result “does not represent our aspirations” and that they are “working hard to make improvements”. 

The survey, which was conducted in February 2022, highlighted a number of issues within the maternity wards.

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Royal Bournemouth Hospital

It found mothers’ experiences in UHD could be improved by receiving better support or advice from midwives about feeding their baby during evenings, nights or weekends. 

It also pointed out improvement was needed in new mothers being able to get a member of staff to help while in hospital post-birth as well as providing better mental health support. 

Professor Paula Shobbrook, chief nursing officer for University Hospitals Dorset, said: “We recognise that this report does not represent our aspirations for maternity services, and we’re working hard to make improvements. 

“The survey was undertaken in February 2022, during the Covid-19 pandemic, which was an extremely challenging time.   

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“Since then, a range of improvements have been introduced, including increasing support for mums-to-be with mental health issues, employing more midwives and specialist staff, and increasing the availability and scope of breastfeeding information and expert advice. 

"Many mums provide positive feedback, and our focus is ensuring this is the experience for everyone using our maternity service.  

"We recognise there is still further to go and we’re working with ‘Dorset Maternity Voices Partnership’ to continually improve. 

"Our maternity team is working incredibly hard to provide care that they can be proud of and that our mums and families deserve, and we are committed to supporting and sustaining these improvements.” 

The report did recognise the cleanliness of the hospital’s maternity rooms and wards as well as midwives communicating with mothers in an easy-to-understand way during labour and birth. 

Mothers are also offered a choice about where to have their baby during their antenatal care, the CQC said about UHD. 

Mothers also felt they were given appropriate advice and support when they contacted a midwife or the hospital at the start of their labour.