Maternity services in Leicester rated as ‘Requires Improvement’

The report said that there was not always enough staff to keep patients safe.

The Care Quality Commission has rated the maternity services at the Leicester Royal Infirmary and the Leicester General as ‘Requires Improvement’.

This is a downgrade from the previous rating of ‘Good’. 

The CQC inspected the maternity service at Leicester Royal Infirmary and Leicester General in February and March this year as part of the national maternity inspection programme.

The report states that one reason the rating went down was because 'the service did not always have enough staff to keep women and birthing people and their babies safe. Staffing levels did not always match the planned numbers putting the safety of woman, birthing people and babies at risk.' 

In a letter to parents, parents-to-be, and families, the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, who run the hospitals, said: "We understand this may be concerning to hear. We want to reassure you that we had already identified many of the challenges raised by the CQC and put plans in place to address them. These changes are now embedding. They include improving our staffing levels to ensure a consistently safe service for all. Thirty-five new neonatal nurses have joined us since April last year, 25 new midwives have joined us since January, and a further 24 midwives will join UHL in November.

"Other important changes include investment in new equipment and our estate, daily safety checking, and improvements to cleanliness and infection prevention practices. We now have bereavement support in place 7 days a week and have separated telephone triage from our assessment unit to ensure that urgent calls are answered in a timely way by an experienced clinician. We are also progressing work on a new maternity theatre at the Leicester General Hospital meaning that planned and emergency caesareans can take place in separate areas. 

"While we know there is much more to do to, we are encouraged by the reports’ reference to the commitment of our hardworking team and the actions being taken to ensure a culture of safety and openness. We have invited the CQC back to see the changes we have made and the impact they are having on the safety and quality of our services. Please be assured that Leicester remains a safe place to give birth, and there are several ways you can get in touch with us if you have any concerns."

At the Leicester Royal Infirmary, the rating for maternity services has moved down from good to requires improvement. Safe has moved down from requires improvement to inadequate, and well-led moved down from good to requires improvement.

At Leicester General Hospital, the rating for maternity services has moved down from good to requires improvement. Safe has moved down from requires improvement to inadequate and well-led moved down from good to requires improvement.

Carolyn Jenkinson, deputy director of secondary and specialist healthcare, said: “When we inspected maternity services at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, we observed a deterioration in the level of care being provided to women, people using the service and their babies.

“The leadership team has recently restructured with many new posts still needing to be embedded. Leaders should continue to focus on improving their oversight of risks and managing performance so people can receive a better, and safer standard of care.

“Senior leaders already had plans in place to prioritise the main risks, including staffing levels, so we hope to see these changes embedded when we next inspect. Staff spoke positively about the new leadership team, describing them as visible and approachable and felt they supported staff to develop their skills and take on more senior roles. In addition, a matron had recently been appointed to focus solely on recruitment, retention, and staff wellbeing.

“Both services were regularly understaffed which placed people and their babies at risk. It also meant staff weren’t always able to take their breaks, which affected their well-being, morale, and ability to do their job.

“We also found multiple examples where people’s care had been delayed in maternity triage due to doctors not being available. Some of these delays were very long, for example six hours, and some resulted in people self-discharging before they had a medical review, which could place them at risk.

“It was positive, however, to hear that leaders were working closely with staff and an external agency to improve culture across all maternity locations. Staff at St Mary’s Birth Centre should be proud of the safe care they were providing. Staff there were focused on the needs of people and babies in their care and were fully supported by managers to develop their skills.

“We will continue to monitor the trust, including through future inspections, to ensure the necessary improvements are made so people and their babies can receive safe and appropriate care.”