30 January 2020

New mums in Shropshire feel cared for during labour and birth and have their concerns taken seriously, a new survey from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found.

The 2019 CQC Maternity Survey found that women cared for by The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) had confidence and trust in the staff caring for them during their labour and the birth of their baby.

Women who responded to the survey said they were treated with dignity and respect during labour and birth, and were able to get help when they needed it.

The CQC survey highlights women’s 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.

SaTH, which runs the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, scored 8/10 or higher in 73% of the questions asked. Of the 35 questions in which SaTH achieved this scored, 21 (60%) scored 9/10 or higher.

SaTH’s results were better than most other trusts in four questions (Was your discharge delayed? Did you get active support and encouragement about feeding your baby? Were you given a choice over where postnatal care would be? Could you get feeding advice during the evening or at weekends?). There were no areas where SaTH performed worse than other trusts.

There was one question in which SaTH’s result was considered statistically significantly higher than last year (support and encouragement about feeding) and one which was considered lower than last year. But in this question – Did you have a telephone number for a member of the midwifery team that you could contact? – the Trust still scored 9.4/10 (down from 9.9 in 2018).

Findings of the survey include:

  • Women having confidence and trust in the staff caring for them during labour and birth.
  • Women being treated with dignity and respect.
  • Concerns being taken seriously.
  • Women getting the help they needed.
  • Midwives listening to women during their antenatal check-ups.
  • Women getting the help they needed when they needed it.
  • Women being spoken to in a way they could understand.
  • Women being involved in decisions about their care.
  • Partners or someone close being involved in the labour or birth as much as they wanted to be.

Nicola Wenlock, Director of Midwifery at SaTH, said: “Mums under our care said they were confident in the people looking after them, which is really important for any new mum. They told the CQC they were treated with dignity and respect, that their concerns were listened to and that they were able to get the help they needed if they needed it.

“This feedback is really pleasing to hear and I want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to take part in this survey, particularly at such as special, and very busy time in their lives.

“There are areas in the survey which show the need for further improvement and we will continue to work on all areas to ensure we give mums, babies and families in our care the best possible experience.”