Inspection of Banbury maternity service finds ‘babies may be at risk of harm’

An inspection found “poor governance and inefficient systems” at Banbury’s maternity ward, which could put women and babies “at risk of harm”.

The maternity service at Houghton General Hospital was rated as requiring improvement following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in October.

Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC’s deputy director of secondary and specialist care, said: “Our review of the maternity service at Houghton General Hospital revealed a service with poor governance and inefficient systems and processes. , women, people using services and their babies could be at risk.” Risk of harm.

This is the first time Houghton General Hospital’s obstetrics service has been recognized as an independent core service. Previously, obstetric and gynecological services were examined and assessed together.

According to the hospital, his symptoms are improving.

Milica Redfern, Director of Midwifery at Oxford University Hospital, said: ‘While we are disappointed with this outcome, we always welcome feedback on how we can improve our service and will work with staff, women and the maternity community to deliver any suggested improvements. We intend to cooperate with those involved.” As the inspectors found out when they visited, the Houghton midwife-led unit has a fantastic team. ”

The inspector found:

• The service did not always follow best practice guidance, including having a second midwife available to support during the later stages of labor and birth.

• Although staff had access to policies and procedures, some policies were difficult to follow and were not updated to reflect changes in other policies.

• Although the drugs were prescribed correctly and stored safely, they were not always stored at the appropriate temperature.

• Staff did not always follow the trust’s policy of cleaning the birthing pool and ensuring it was properly decontaminated after use. However, the trust had taken steps to address this.

Carolyn Jenkinson said: “We found examples of poor record-keeping and people using services were not always undergoing risk assessments. The midwife-led force used national tools to , assessed whether people giving birth were at risk of worsening symptoms, but staff did not always complete these records and leaders did not audit records.”

“There is also concern that safety equipment is not always regularly checked, which may result in some outdated equipment and products being used on humans.”“Staff were not consistently aware of incidents and near misses and did not recognize and report them when they should have.”“We will continue to monitor the trust closely, including through further testing, to ensure women, people using our services and their babies are safe.”

Following the inspection, Houghton General Hospital’s rating has also changed. The hospital’s overall rating was downgraded from “good” to “requires improvement,” as well as areas of safety and good guidance.Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s overall rating still requires improvement.Professor Meghana Pandit, Chief Executive of Oxford University Hospitals, said: “As a learning organization, we will continue to improve our services along the lines highlighted in the report, and I feel sorry for our staff who are already working hard to improve.”“We want to be clear that our commitment to Houghton General Hospital remains steadfast. While this new rating is a setback, we remain committed to our local hospital, the services it provides, and I am extremely proud of our amazing staff.”“In recent years, we have increased capacity at the Brody Center, increased diagnostic capabilities in the region with the installation of a new CT scanner and new blood testing services, and brought specialist expertise to outpatient clinics such as obstetrician-led clinics. increased input and increased surgical and day surgery capacity. All of these improvements are aimed at ensuring people in Bunbury and the surrounding area have access to local care.”