CQC rates Maternity Services as ‘Good’ and praises ‘Outstanding’ work at Arrowe Park Hospital and Seacombe Birth Centre.

Janelle Holmes, CEO at Wirral University Teaching Hospital, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and great news for patients and staff."

Doctors, nurses, midwives and support staff in Maternity Services at Arrowe Park and Seacombe Birth Centre received a boost today as their care was praised and rated as good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Some areas of the service were described as ‘outstanding.’

Staff were delighted to see their hard work and above all, their dedication to patients, babies, women and birthing people, recognised in the CQC inspection report.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection of Maternity Services at Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust rated the services as ‘Good’ for safe care and ‘Good’ for well-led services, with areas of outstanding practice being reported in the Trust’s joint work with Wirral Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership.

CQC had previously rated Maternity Services as good overall and this latest inspection demonstrates the huge strides in maintaining this rating, and further improvements in safety made by the Trust.

Last year, the Trust had a total of 2972 births, of which 15 were in the Seacombe Birth Centre and 77 were home births. The planned visit by inspectors was carried out on 24 and 25^th April 2023 and the inspection focussed on the safe and well-led key questions of their inspection regime.

Janelle Holmes CEO at the Trust said: “This is a fantastic achievement and great news for patients and staff. Our Trust plays such a big role locally and has a special place in people’s hearts as so many Wirral people were born here or have had their own children in Arrowe Park and Seacombe. We are so pleased that this inspection report reflects the hard work and dedication of our staff to making the experience of all our patients personalised and individual.”

Photos: Maternity Team at Arrowe Park Hospital.

Photos: Maternity Team at Seacombe Birth Centre.

Among the many positive findings in the report, the CQC noted that:

Staff are competent and feel valued and supported.
There is clear and visible leadership, including Maternity Champions at Board level.
The service has a positive culture, with openness, honesty and strong commitment to safety.
The Leadership Team have the skills and abilities to manage the service well.
There is a positive culture within the service where people, their families and staff felt they could raise concerns.
Staff are committed to improving services to ensure people receive a high standard of care.
Engagement and involvement with women, families, and birthing people was strong – especially the partnership working with Wirral Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership, which was rated as outstanding.
Care is individualised, compassionate and personalised.
The team had a commitment to training and research.
The service is committed to improvement, innovation and continued learning.
The Trust was the only service within the local maternity services network to offer 4 birth choices to woman and birthing people.

Victoria Walsh of Wirral Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership commented:

“We are really pleased and proud that our partnership with the Trust was singled out as outstanding by the CQC. Working together with the teams, we are committed to making maternity and neonatal experiences better.

“It’s a true partnership. We feel that the Trust listens to the experiences of women and birthing people in order to deliver safe, high-quality care and to carry on making improvements.”

Kerry Roberts, who lives in Wallasey and is pregnant with her third child, said:

“I’m really happy that the work of the staff has been recognised and they work so hard to make sure it’s a high standard of care. Both of my babies were born at Arrowe Park and both times the staff were amazing. The staff were wonderful and very supportive. This time around with my third baby I’ve had continuity of care and I love it. I have the same midwife every time I go to my appointment, which is lovely.”

Cilla Padi, whose baby Marcel was born recently at Arrowe Park Hospital, added:

"I would love to share my incredible experience delivering my baby at Arrowe Park Hospital. From the moment I walked through the doors, I felt I was in a supportive environment and that truly put me at ease. The exceptional care and attention I received from the maternity team were beyond my expectations.

“Their expertise, compassion, and dedication made me feel safe and empowered throughout my journey to motherhood. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone at Arrowe Park Hospital for making my birthing experience truly unforgettable."

The CQC inspected the Maternity Services at Arrowe Park Hospital and Seacombe Birth Centre as part of its national maternity inspection programme. The programme aims to give an up-to-date view of hospital maternity care across the country and help CQC understand what is working well to support learning and improvement at a local and national level. The CQC will publish a report of their overall findings when they have completed the national inspection programme.

Carolyn Jenkinson, deputy director of secondary and specialist healthcare at CQC, said:

“When we inspected maternity services at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, it was encouraging to see leaders and staff working together to provide safe care for women and people using the service.

“They were visible and approachable for staff and for people using the service. They also supported staff to develop their skills and take on more senior roles, building a good culture to work in.

“Across both maternity services, we found that staff understood how to protect people from abuse. They were able to identify adults and children at risk of, or suffering, significant harm and worked with other agencies to protect them. For example, the Seacombe Birth Centre had a safeguarding specialist midwife and a safeguarding team who staff could turn to when they had concerns. This work had won a national award for outstanding leadership in safeguarding.

“We found risks to people were assessed and managed well, and good records were kept. For example, at Arrowe Park Hospital, staff completed risk assessments when people arrived to keep them safe. Evidence showed people were seen within 15 minutes of arrival which staff should be proud of."

The report for the Seacombe Birth Centre has been published on the CQC website.

The report for Arrowe Park Hospital has been published on the CQC website on Thursday 10th August.

-ends-

Photo: Mum Cilla Padi whose baby Marcel was born at Arrowe Park Hospital.

For further information about the content of this news release, please contact the Communications Team on email wih-tr.Communications@nhs.net 0151 604 7640 (direct line) or 0151 678 5111 (switchboard).

Notes to editors:

Wirral University Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust is one of the largest and busiest acute NHS Trusts in the North West of England, serving a population of more than 320,000 and including Wirral’s only Emergency Department at Arrowe Park Hospital. We provide a high-quality range of acute care services and employ over 6,700 staff. We have approximately 855 beds Trust-wide, and our financial turnover is in excess of £337m. We operate three hospitals at two sites – Arrowe Park, where the Wirral Women and Children’s Hospital is located and Clatterbridge General Hospital. The Trust also runs the CQC registered Seacombe Birth Centre.

Trust CQC Rating - As this inspection was a focussed on the safe and well-led aspects of Maternity Services, the result does not change the current CQC overall Trust rating for the three hospitals in Wirral University Hospital Teaching Trust, which is ‘Requires Improvement’. The Trust’s overall rating was compiled from CQC visits in May 2018, October and November 2019 and a final report in March 2020. Since then, the Trust has been implementing an action plan of improvements and has successfully bid for capital investment in facilities to improve staff and patient experience. Ends/

Care Quality Commission press release on Trust rating:

CQC rates maternity services at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as good following inspection

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated two maternity services run by Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as good following an inspection in April.

The inspection was carried out as part of CQC’s national maternity inspection programme. The programme aims to provide an up-to-date view of the quality of hospital maternity care across the country, and a better understanding of what is working well to support learning and improvement at a local and national level.

Inspectors looked at the areas of safe and well-led in both maternity services. Following the inspection:

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (also known as Seacombe Birth Centre) – the overall rating for maternity services, as well as being safe and well-led was rated as good.

This is the first time the Seacombe Birth Centre has been rated as it was first registered with CQC in August 2022.

Arrowe Park Hospital – the maternity service has been rated good overall and for being well-led. The rating for how safe the service is has improved from requires improvement to good.

The overall rating for Arrowe Park Hospital remains as requires improvement, and the rating for the trust overall remains rated as good.

Carolyn Jenkinson, deputy director of secondary and specialist healthcare, said:

“When we inspected maternity services at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, it was encouraging to see leaders and staff working together to provide safe care for women and people using the service.

“They were visible and approachable for staff and for people using the service. They also supported staff to develop their skills and take on more senior roles, building a good culture to work in.

“Across both maternity services, we found that staff understood how to protect people from abuse. They were able to identify adults and children at risk of, or suffering, significant harm and worked with other agencies to protect them. For example, the Seacombe Birth Centre had a safeguarding specialist midwife and a safeguarding team who staff could turn to when they had concerns. This work had won a national award for outstanding leadership in safeguarding.

“We found risks to people were assessed and managed well, and good records were kept. For example, at Arrowe Park Hospital, staff completed risk assessments when people arrived to keep them safe. Evidence showed people were seen within 15 minutes of arrival which staff should be proud of.

“We can see that leaders and staff have worked hard to ensure people are receiving safe care. We have highlighted some areas for improvement going forward and we will return to make sure the quality of service continues.

Inspectors found the following at both hospitals during this inspection:

The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work.
Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent.
Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of people receiving care and were clear about their roles and accountabilities.
The service engaged well people and the community to plan and manage services.
All staff were committed to improving services continually.

The report for the Seacombe Birth Centre was published on CQC’s website on Thursday 10th August.

The report for Arrowe Park Hospital was published on CQC’s website on Thursday 10th August.

CQC Contact

For media enquiries:

Helen Gildersleeve, regional communications and engagement officer – 07825 939 328 or gildersleeve@cqc.org.uk
Robyn Sinclair, regional communications and engagement officer- 07789 653 369 or sinclair@cqc.org.uk
Angela Clark, regional communications and engagement manager – 07821 682 509 or clark@cqc.org.uk
Alternatively, you can email comms@cqc.org.uk

Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team on the website.

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Our Services

Maternity Services at Trust rated 'Good' by CQC with areas of 'Outstanding' practice

CQC rates Maternity Services as ‘Good’ and praises ‘Outstanding’ work at Arrowe Park Hospital and Seacombe Birth Centre.

Janelle Holmes, CEO at Wirral University Teaching Hospital, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and great news for patients and staff."

Doctors, nurses, midwives and support staff in Maternity Services at Arrowe Park and Seacombe Birth Centre received a boost today as their care was praised and rated as good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Some areas of the service were described as ‘outstanding.’

Staff were delighted to see their hard work and above all, their dedication to patients, babies, women and birthing people, recognised in the CQC inspection report.

CQC had previously rated Maternity Services as good overall and this latest inspection demonstrates the huge strides in maintaining this rating, and further improvements in safety made by the Trust.

Last year, the Trust had a total of 2972 births, of which 15 were in the Seacombe Birth Centre and 77 were home births. The planned visit by inspectors was carried out on 24 and 25th April 2023 and the inspection focussed on the safe and well-led key questions of their inspection regime.

Among the many positive findings in the report, the CQC noted that:

Staff are competent and feel valued and supported.

There is clear and visible leadership, including Maternity Champions at Board level.

The service has a positive culture, with openness, honesty and strong commitment to safety.

The Leadership Team have the skills and abilities to manage the service well.

There is a positive culture within the service where people, their families and staff felt they could raise concerns.

Staff are committed to improving services to ensure people receive a high standard of care.

Engagement and involvement with women, families, and birthing people was strong – especially the partnership working with Wirral Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership, which was rated as outstanding.

Care is individualised, compassionate and personalised.

The team had a commitment to training and research.

The service is committed to improvement, innovation and continued learning.

The Trust was the only service within the local maternity services network to offer 4 birth choices to woman and birthing people.

Victoria Walsh of Wirral Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership commented:

“We are really pleased and proud that our partnership with the Trust was singled out as outstanding by the CQC. Working together with the teams, we are committed to making maternity and neonatal experiences better.

“It’s a true partnership. We feel that the Trust listens to the experiences of women and birthing people in order to deliver safe, high-quality care and to carry on making improvements.”

Kerry Roberts, who lives in Wallasey and is pregnant with her third child, said:

Cilla Padi, whose baby Marcel was born recently at Arrowe Park Hospital, added:

“Their expertise, compassion, and dedication made me feel safe and empowered throughout my journey to motherhood. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone at Arrowe Park Hospital for making my birthing experience truly unforgettable."

Carolyn Jenkinson, deputy director of secondary and specialist healthcare at CQC, said:

“When we inspected maternity services at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, it was encouraging to see leaders and staff working together to provide safe care for women and people using the service.

“They were visible and approachable for staff and for people using the service. They also supported staff to develop their skills and take on more senior roles, building a good culture to work in.

“We found risks to people were assessed and managed well, and good records were kept. For example, at Arrowe Park Hospital, staff completed risk assessments when people arrived to keep them safe. Evidence showed people were seen within 15 minutes of arrival which staff should be proud of."

The report for the Seacombe Birth Centre has been published on the CQC website.

The report for Arrowe Park Hospital has been published on the CQC website on Thursday 10th August.

Care Quality Commission press release on Trust rating:

CQC rates maternity services at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as good following inspection

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated two maternity services run by Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as good following an inspection in April.

Inspectors looked at the areas of safe and well-led in both maternity services. Following the inspection:

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (also known as Seacombe Birth Centre) – the overall rating for maternity services, as well as being safe and well-led was rated as good.

This is the first time the Seacombe Birth Centre has been rated as it was first registered with CQC in August 2022.

Arrowe Park Hospital – the maternity service has been rated good overall and for being well-led. The rating for how safe the service is has improved from requires improvement to good.

The overall rating for Arrowe Park Hospital remains as requires improvement, and the rating for the trust overall remains rated as good.

Carolyn Jenkinson, deputy director of secondary and specialist healthcare, said:

“When we inspected maternity services at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, it was encouraging to see leaders and staff working together to provide safe care for women and people using the service.

“They were visible and approachable for staff and for people using the service. They also supported staff to develop their skills and take on more senior roles, building a good culture to work in.

“We found risks to people were assessed and managed well, and good records were kept. For example, at Arrowe Park Hospital, staff completed risk assessments when people arrived to keep them safe. Evidence showed people were seen within 15 minutes of arrival which staff should be proud of.

“We can see that leaders and staff have worked hard to ensure people are receiving safe care. We have highlighted some areas for improvement going forward and we will return to make sure the quality of service continues.

Inspectors found the following at both hospitals during this inspection:

The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.

Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work.

Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent.

Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of people receiving care and were clear about their roles and accountabilities.

The service engaged well people and the community to plan and manage services.

All staff were committed to improving services continually.

The report for the Seacombe Birth Centre was published on CQC’s website on Thursday 10th August.

The report for Arrowe Park Hospital was published on CQC’s website on Thursday 10th August.

Last year, the Trust had a total of 2972 births, of which 15 were in the Seacombe Birth Centre and 77 were home births. The planned visit by inspectors was carried out on 24 and 25^th April 2023 and the inspection focussed on the safe and well-led key questions of their inspection regime.