Latest news with #CQC
New Statesman
7 hours ago
- Health
- New Statesman
We need a culture change in maternity services
Photo by Matthew Cheetham / Getty Images The Health and Social Care Secretary is staking his reputation on providing safe care to women giving birth. 'Maternity safety will become the litmus test for all safety in the NHS,' Wes Streeting said on 23 June, as he announced a rapid investigation into maternity and neonatal services. He will take 'personal responsibility for it', noting that successive governments have failed to grip this national scandal adequately. Streeting has said the government's long-awaited ten-year plan for the NHS, which will be published on 3 July, will tackle maternity's 'safety crisis at its root, with an overhaul of the wider patient safety landscape'. The Health Secretary has already placed new personnel at the top of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to turn around the 'failing organisation' – part of an attempt to 'declutter' the regulatory landscape in which more than 150 bodies will be scrapped. A shift from analogue to digital will be seen first in maternity, too, where AI technology will flag higher than expected rates of stillbirth, neonatal death and brain injury, triggering inspections. A focus on tackling inequalities in health outcomes – another theme of the plan – is also hugely relevant to maternity care: black women are two to three times more likely to die during pregnancy or shortly after birth than white women. While Streeting's aim to tackle 'the biggest patient safety challenge facing our country' is admirable, the task is mammoth. The rapid investigation will look at up to ten English maternity units that give ministers and NHS bosses the 'greatest cause for concern'. How will they be chosen? In its National Review of Maternity Services in England 2022 to 2024, the CQC found nearly half of all units either required improvement (36 per cent) or were deemed inadequate (12 per cent). Not one was rated outstanding for safety. Nearly two thirds (65 per cent) either required improvement or had inadequate safety provision. Streeting is right: the problem is systemic. 'It's not just a few bad units up and down the country. Maternity units are failing. Hospitals are failing. Trusts are failing.' Streeting could limit his choices to the 20-plus units that are currently rated inadequate by the CQC: from Scarborough and York hospitals in the north, to Poole in the south; Great Yarmouth's James Paget Hospital in the east, or Somerset's two failing units in the west, one of which was closed in May for at least six months. This approach would still leave half the services acknowledged to be unsafe unexamined. The units to be investigated will be chosen after analysing various NHS data sets. But each data set provides different answers. In the 2024 maternity survey, the CQC found two trusts performing 'much worse than expected': University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Six trusts were 'worse than expected'. While some run inadequate maternity services, the majority do not. Then there's the danger of putting too much faith in the CQC when the regulator is facing heavy criticism. It has been accused of failing to heed concerns about maternity services until long after they've been raised by whistleblowing staff and by families who have been harmed. In Leeds, for example, where a BBC investigation found that the deaths of two mothers and 56 babies could potentially have been avoided between 2019 and 2024, maternity services were not rated inadequate until May – at least five years after concerns were first raised. In Oxford, where more than 500 families are calling for an inquiry, maternity services are not judged inadequate. Nor are Nottingham's, where around 2,500 families are taking part in the former midwife Donna Ockenden's independent investigation into failings. The Health Secretary could look at data on deaths. Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust had a neonatal mortality rate nearly twice the average of similar services in 2023. Among smaller hospitals, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust appears to be an outlier in the rate of stillbirths. But official data sets can be flawed. As Streeting acknowledged to doctors, 'some services don't even record incidents that have resulted in serious harm'. Other information indicating poor maternity care doesn't exist at all: there are no recent, reliable data on the life-changing injuries women can suffer during childbirth. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Behind every number, every set of statistics, are real lives – and deaths. Too many babies are dying and being harmed because of poor maternity care. Too many women are receiving life-changing injuries. Too many mums and dads are being left traumatised. And we are spending an eye-watering amount compensating families for that poor maternity care. In the financial year 2023-24, maternity payouts comprised 41 per cent of total NHS clinical negligence payments: £1.15bn of £2.8bn. The NHS predicts that 49 per cent of the £5.1bn it will pay out in future as a result of care delivered in 2023-24 will be to maternity cases. To put that into perspective, NHS England spends around £3bn a year in total delivering maternity and neonatal services. It is vital that maternity services are not seen as just another part of the NHS that needs improving. For there is something bigger going on – something unique that cannot simply be explained by staff shortages, low morale or a lack of funding. Many hospitals provide good care in all other departments but have an inadequate maternity unit. This is a problem of culture. And with the best will in the world, that is the hardest thing of all to change. [See also: Cover Story: Just raise tax!] Related
BBC News
15 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
York Hospital upgraded to 'requires improvement' after inspection
A hospital previously deemed to be providing an 'inadequate' level of services has improved, according to a follow-up inspection. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has moved York Hospital, run by York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, from an overall rating of 'inadequate' to 'requires improvement' after inspectors visited in January. Alan Stephenson, CQC deputy director of operations for the north, said it was "positive" to see improvements had been made, but "more work was needed"."They should continue to build on these foundations, ensure their improvements are embedded and sustained, and we'll continue to monitor them to make sure this happens," he said. Simon Morritt, Chief Executive, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said the improvements were "a testament to the dedication and professionalism of our staff". "We're particularly pleased the CQC noted that most patients and their families felt treated with compassion and kindness, a reflection of the values we work hard to uphold every day," he said."We know there is more to do. Our focus now is on embedding the improvements we've made, strengthening leadership at every level, and creating a culture where both patients and colleagues feel safe, supported, and valued." Long waiting times The inspection identified the following improvements:Urgent and emergency care has improved from inadequate to requires improvement, as have the ratings for being safe and responsiveWell-led has improved from inadequate to goodEffective and caring have improved from requires improvement to goodOverall, medical care has been re-rated as requires improvement, as well as for being safe, effective, responsive and well-ledCaring has been re-rated as goodHowever, the CQC report did raise concerns about "breaches relating to safe care and treatment, premises and equipment", and further highlighted issues around good management and staffing in medical that were earmarked for improvement included tackling long waiting times, and more training for staff risk-assessing people with mental health needs in urgent and emergency care medical care services, it was found that the service "did not consistently maintain the environment" to ensure it was fit for purpose, and there were issues with ensuring people's information was accurate and kept Stephenson added: "When we inspected urgent and emergency care and medical care services at the York Hospital, it was positive to see that some improvements had been made since our previous inspection. "However more work was needed across both services to improve the standard of care people were receiving."CQC said it would continue to monitor the Trust, and has requested it submits an action plan showing what steps it will take in response to the concerns raised."The Trust has made some improvements, but they have more work to do to make sure people are safer and leadership continues to improve, as we know that better leaders mean better care," the inspection report concluded. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
17 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Littlehampton care home rated 'inadequate' over risk of falls
A care home has been rated inadequate by a health watchdog over concerns about the management of the risks of falls after it was notified a person using the service had died and another had sustained a serious injury. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors found that Brockenhurst, in Littlehampton, West Sussex, was lacking systems to keep people found several breaches of regulations relating to the management of risks, administration of medicines, staffing, person-centred care, dignity and respect, and the management of the service.A spokesperson for the home said improvements were made within weeks of the inspection to keep people safe, but there was more to be done. Serena Coleman, the CQC's deputy director of operations in the south, said: "During our inspection of Brockenhurst care home, we found widespread and significant issues with its leadership had placed people at risk of harm.""The inspection did not examine the circumstances of the death or the fall that prompted the inspection, but these incidents are subject to further investigation," a CQC spokesperson said. "The information shared with CQC about the incidents indicated potential concerns about the management of risks of falls and this inspection examined those risks." 'Robust action' Brockenhurst which cares for people with dementia said they took immediate action after the inspection in March to create an action plan addressing safety concerns within weeks."We took robust action to enhance the safety of all residents," said Phil Hale, an independent care consultant, working with the care home said accidents had been analysed and action taken for individual residents who have had falls, to reduce the risk of further falls. "We have therefore concentrated on making sure residents are safe and their wellbeing enhanced," added Mr Hale. The CQC report said failures in identifying people's needs had led to people needing to move from the Mr Hale said residents "were not moved out", rather that a decision had been made for a few residents that their care needs would be better met Hale also said that relatives regularly told him that they did not want their loved ones moved because they were happy with the level of care they CQC says in its report that "people and their relatives spoke positively about staff and described them as kind and caring".The home say they look forward to the CQC reinspecting later this year, "so that their rating can more accurately reflect the quality of care being provided now".
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Home care service rated outstanding for third time
A home care service has been rated outstanding by inspectors for the third time in a row. Bluebird Care's Winchester, Eastleigh & Romsey division supports 67 people of all ages to live privately. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said the service, run by Belrose Ltd, remained safe, responsive and well-led. CQC director Neil Cox said: "Leaders made sure there were enough staff to meet people's needs, with safe recruitment and thorough training in place." Inspectors, who assessed the service in April, heard from clients who said they felt "confident" and "comfortable" with their carers. Some people were unhappy with "slightly haphazard" call times and changes to rotas, according to the CQC report. However, the provider worked hard to address their complaints, inspectors said. Mr Cox said: "A third consecutive outstanding rating is a sustained standard of excellence that other services should aim to match." Founded in 2004, Bluebird Care operates a network of 220 franchises across the UK and Ireland, according to its website. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. 'Inadequate' care service put in special measures Making a difference for people is a great feeling Carers share experience in recruitment drive Care Quality Commission
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Hampshire home care service rated outstanding for third time
A home care service has been rated outstanding by inspectors for the third time in a Care's Winchester, Eastleigh & Romsey division supports 67 people of all ages to live Care Quality Commission (CQC) said the service, run by Belrose Ltd, remained safe, responsive and director Neil Cox said: "Leaders made sure there were enough staff to meet people's needs, with safe recruitment and thorough training in place." Inspectors, who assessed the service in April, heard from clients who said they felt "confident" and "comfortable" with their people were unhappy with "slightly haphazard" call times and changes to rotas, according to the CQC the provider worked hard to address their complaints, inspectors Cox said: "A third consecutive outstanding rating is a sustained standard of excellence that other services should aim to match."Founded in 2004, Bluebird Care operates a network of 220 franchises across the UK and Ireland, according to its website. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
