Regulator voices concerns over staffing levels at Northampton maternity unit

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission have said a maternity unit did not always have enough experienced and qualified staff to keep women safe from avoidable harm.

The care regulator found the Northampton General Hospital maternity unit “did not always control infection risk well”.

Whilst acknowledging that staff managed safety incidents well, it rated the service as requiring improvement.

The CQC report said “The service did not always have enough maternity staff with the right qualifications, skills, training and experience to keep women safe from avoidable harm and to provide the right care and treatment.

“Measures were not always in place for equipment and control measures to protect women, themselves and others from infection.

“Ward areas were not always clean and some furnishings were not well-maintained.”

Craig Howarth, CQC’s deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said “When we inspected maternity services at NGH we saw that staff were competent and treated patients with kindness, but several improvements were needed across the department.”

Heidi Smoult, chief executive of the hospital, welcomed the report and acknowledged there was “more still to do”.

She added “Over the past 18 months a lot of work has been undertaken including strengthening the senior leadership team in the unit and greater monitoring and proactive recruitment of maternity support workers, midwives, and international midwives.

“We have also developed, and are implementing, quality improvement plans which address local and national maternity priorities.”

Chadwick Lawrence’s team of medical negligence lawyers have years of experience in high value and complex medical negligence compensation claims and have an excellent record.  The team is led by Tony May, a specialist cerebral palsy and birth injury solicitor, who has over 20 years experience in handling cases in which babies have been brain damaged or sustained other injuries as a result of medical negligence.  He and his team continue to represent many cerebral palsy children and young adults in medical negligence claims.  Tony also acts as a Court of Protection Deputy for many of the cerebral palsy and brain damaged clients that he has represented, so we can continue to support you after your case is settled.  Tony can be contacted by email on tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk.  Alternatively, please call and speak to any of Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist medical negligence Legal Aid and no win, no fee solicitors for free legal advice on Freephone 0800 304 7382