Shropshire hospital trust welcomes maternity survey findings

Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which manages both Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal hospital in Telford, was one of seven trusts across the country deemed to be performing above expectations.

The assessment comes from responses from 196 mums who completed Care Quality Commission (CQC) surveys about their experiences at the trust during lockdown in January and February 2021 – during antenatal care, labour and birth, and postnatal care.

It comes as the trust has been in the national spotlight due to major failings in maternity care – revealed in 2020 inquiry report by maternity expert Donna Ockenden, with the second stage of the report to be published in the coming weeks.

The first report outlined a number of recommendations which the trust was asked to implement.

Louise Barnett, Chief Executive at SaTH, has welcomed the CQC conclusion that the trust was performing better than expected.

She also said the trust was focussed on further improvement.

She said: “The maternity survey highlights the hard work and dedication that has been shown by our teams through some incredibly difficult times.

"Given that it directly reflects the experiences of those we care for, I’m very pleased to see we are performing strongly in several areas, particularly those where women’s choices are placed at the heart of the services we provide.

“Building on the examples of “outstanding practice” highlighted in the recent Care Quality Commission report on the trust, the survey shows the progress that has been made in the transformation of our maternity services so far.

"We are determined to build on these significant steps forward as we know that there is still more to do, and we will keep focusing on those areas where further improvement is needed.

“I want to thank the whole team for their continued commitment to bringing about positive change and to providing excellent care to those we serve.”