New mums give Princess Alexandra Hospital's maternity team improved rating

Mothers have given Princess Alexandra Hospital's maternity team an improved rating.

The results of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 2021 questionnaire show better performance.

When respondents were asked if they would have liked to have seen or spoken to a midwife more, less or the right amount, the score improved from 4.5 in 2019 to 6.6.

Asked if they were given information about physical recovery after birth, the rating improved from 7.1 in 2019 to 7.5 in 2021 and was better than most trusts.

The feedback also improved and was rated as somewhat better than most trusts for midwives providing relevant information during pregnancy about feeding – up from 7.4 in 2019 to 7.7 in 2021.

Overall, the hospital scored about the same as other trusts for the majority of questions, but areas highlighted for the maternity team to focus on improving in comparison to others included information about Covid-19 restrictions and implications on maternity care, and creating a more comfortable atmosphere for labour in the way the respondents would have liked.

Some aspects of communication were also highlighted, including being spoken to in a way the respondents could understand and increased opportunities to ask questions about labour and birth after the baby was born.

The 2021 maternity survey involved 122 NHS trusts in England and 170 PAHT patients responded to it, a response rate of 57.05%.

Giuseppe Labriola, director of midwifery, said: "We are proud that we have continued to improve the support and information sharing for women, pregnant people and their families.

"We have enhanced the service using the results of previous years through reviewing patient feedback and implementing changes. We continue to have a strong focus on ensuring that we provide high-quality care and experiences."

Sharon McNally, director of nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals at the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, added: "It is testament to the hard work and dedication of the maternity team that we have seen these improvements.

"We thank women and pregnant people for sharing their feedback – we are committed to developing our maternity service for the future."