The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has released a report summarising progress made by the Milton Keynes Hospital Foundation Trust against the recommendations of the Intervention Report, published by the Healthcare Commission in December 2008. The Intervention Report identified a number of recommendations relating to clinical governance and the way maternity services were delivered by the trust.
The CQC progress report found that the trust must accelerate improvements to its maternity services and improve planning to meet long-term demand. While the report noted that temporary measures are in place to ensure that there are enough midwives to provide safe and effective care, it highlighted the need to recruit more permanent midwives, to open more beds permanently, and to improve planning for emergency situations, such as complicated births and staff shortages. It also emphasised the importance of processes to recognise complex and problematic cases early, and effective access to consultants, supervisors and midwives when necessary.
Staff shortages remain a concern in NHS maternity services. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) continues to recommend one-to-one midwifery care1 and consultant expansion to ensure safe and high quality care for women and babies. Overstretched staff can compromise patient safety. The RCOG would like to see investment into the number of consultant obstetricians within the NHS and advises an immediate increase to a minimum 2,100 but ideally up to 2,500.2 Future planning for maternity services must also take into account the rising birth rate and increasing numbers of high-risk pregnancies within the general population. The RCOG urges the CQC to embed the recommendations in Standards for Maternity Care to address issues around quality, staffing and risk management in maternity services.
The RCOG welcomes the CQC progress report, and will continue to work with health care workers and organisations at all levels to promote high standards and quality care.
19 January 2010
Notes
The Care Quality Commission report is available online at http://www.cqc.org.uk/newsandevents/newsstories.cfm?FaArea1=customwidgets.content_view_1&cit_id=35827.
The RCOG Working Party Report, Standards for Maternity Care, is available online at http://www.rcog.org.uk/womens-health/clinical-guidance/standards-maternity-care.
1The Department of Health has pledged to increase midwifery numbers within the NHS by 4,000 by 2012. Ideally, there should be 5,000 more midwives in the NHS by 2012.
2RCOG Working Party Report, The Future Role of the Consultant, available online at http://www.rcog.org.uk/womens-health/clinical-guidance/future-role-consultant. See also RCOG Working Party Report, The Future Workforce in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, available online at http://www.rcog.org.uk/future-workforce-obstetrics-and-gynaecology.