Princess Royal University Hospital maternity ‘requires improvement’

The maternity department at Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) has been rated as ‘requires improvement’ in its most recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) report.

During an unannounced visit on April 8 and 9 last year, inspectors discovered breaches of regulations around safe care and treatment and good governance.

Only the criteria which were previously rated as ‘requires improvement’ during an inspection in August 2022 – safe, responsive and well-led – were assessed during this inspection, with responsive upgraded to ‘good’.

A report published earlier this month reveals that safeguarding guidance was not in date at the time of the visit, and that maternity staff at the PRUH “did not always manage clinical risks in a timely way”.

Other concerns raised by inspectors around safety and leadership included that maternity facilities “did not always meet the needs of people” and that staff “did not always follow infection control guidance”.

However, the service was found to be responsive, with women involved in decisions about their care and “confident” that their feedback was taken seriously.

The report said: “Women received fair and equal care and treatment.

“The service worked to reduce health and care inequalities through training and feedback.

“Women were involved in planning their care and understood options around choosing to decline or withdraw from care.

“However, the service was not always easy to access, and care was not always provided in a timely way.”

The CQC also published reports into other services run by the hospital’s trust, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, this month, including medical care and services for children and young people at King’s College Hospital.

Professor Clive Kay, chief executive at the trust, said it is “clear” from the reports that the trust is “not meeting the high standards that patients rightly expect” in some areas.

Professor Kay said: “We have evidence that points to an improving culture within the organisation over the past 12 months, which is positive, but there is clearly more work to do, as we made clear to the CQC, and we will continue with our efforts to deliver improvements in this key area.”