Maternity services at two Devon hospitals ‘need improvement’

Maternity services at two Devon hospitals need to improve the way they deliver care, inspectors have said.

The Healthcare Quality Commission has rated maternity services at the Royal Devon and Exeter (RD&E) Hospital and North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) as ‘requires improvement’ following an inspection in November.

The hospitals, run by Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, were inspected as part of the CQC’s National Maternity Services Inspection Programme.

Overall, NDDH’s obstetric services were reassessed as “requires improvement.”

The evaluation of how well the students are being taught was downgraded from “good” to “needs improvement,” while safety was reevaluated to “needs improvement.”

This was the first time that RDE’s obstetric services were assessed as an independent core service. Previously, obstetric and gynecological services were examined and assessed together.

The trust, which runs both hospitals, said it was “disappointed” by the report and was working to address the findings.

At the Royal Devon & Exeter (RD&E) Hospital, observers found:

• Problems at the level of midwives, such as high morbidity rates

• Leaders did not have adequate systems to manage issues and risks

• Staff did not complete all required role-specific training and safety measures

• Medicines were not always safely stored or managed

• There was no recent training on infant abduction.

Carolyn Jenkinson, deputy director of secondary and specialist care at the CQC, said inspectors found staff were “doing their best to provide good care in difficult environments” but “incidents and risks were being missed. ” he said.

He added that RD&E staffing levels “do not always keep people safe” and identified several incidents that meant people using the service were at risk of harm. did.

At North Devon District Hospital (NDDH), inspectors found:

• Problems with the level of midwives and the number of staff do not go as planned.

• Leaders did not have adequate systems to manage issues and risks

• Medicines were not always stored or managed effectively

• Records are unclear as to whether the service fulfilled its good faith obligations when required

• There was no recent training on infant abduction.

Mr Jenkinson said inspectors had identified specific concerns with the NDDH regarding triage, incident reporting and the way leaders audited the service, which meant the NDDH was “reliant on the clinical judgment of individuals”. He said he meant it.

He added that record-keeping at the NDDH is “inadequate” and there is “a lack of detail” in incident reports that put people at risk of harm.

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said it was “disappointed” by the findings.

Chief Executive Sam Higginson said: “As a learning organization, we use all feedback as an opportunity to improve our services, and work has already begun to address the findings of the report.

“Of course we are disappointed with this result, but this report will help us make improvements to ensure we meet the needs of women, birthing people and their babies in North and East Devon. We feel it gives us a constructive and inclusive sense of where we should be targeting.”

He added: “We are delighted that our many strengths have been demonstrated and we will build on these further as we work with colleagues, patients and partners to improve our services.”