\n A February inspection upgraded the service from \u2018inadequate\u2019, with enforcement action taken, to \u2018requires improvement\u2019.\n<\/p>\n
\n Inspectors found progress since their previous visit but raised concerns about patient safety, safeguarding, medicines and the care environment.\n<\/p>\n
\n A warning notice requiring Musgrove Park Hospital and Yeovil District Hospital to improve women\u2019s safety has been lifted, although the trust still breaches some regulations.\n<\/p>\n
\n Catherine Campbell, CQC deputy director of hospitals in Somerset, said: “When our inspectors visited maternity services at Musgrove Park Hospital, we found a service that had improved since our previous inspection.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Women told us staff were compassionate, caring, and went above and beyond for them, and that\u2019s clearly something the whole team should be proud of.\n<\/p>\n
\n “While we saw clear improvements, some important safety concerns remain, which is why we\u2019ve rated the service as requires improvement.\n<\/p>\n
\n “A significant part of this picture is the pressure the service has been under since the trust took the decision to temporarily close the Yeovil maternity unit in May 2025.\n<\/p>\n
\n “That closure transferred considerable demand to Musgrove, and our inspectors saw the impact directly.”\n<\/p>\n
\n The inspection upgraded the service\u2019s safety and leadership ratings from \u2018inadequate\u2019 to \u2018requires improvement\u2019 overall.\n<\/p>\n
\n The service was rated good for effectiveness and caring.\n<\/p>\n
\n Its responsiveness was rated \u2018requires improvement\u2019, alongside safety, responsibeness and in the well-led domain.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ms Campbell said pressure from demand was clearly affecting patients\u2019 experience.\n<\/p>\n
\n She said: “Women were waiting up to ten hours for a medical review in triage and, in some cases, were leaving without a care plan in place because a doctor wasn\u2019t available to update it.\n<\/p>\n
\n “That isn\u2019t acceptable, and it\u2019s a risk we\u2019ve asked the trust to address urgently.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We also raised concerns about safeguarding.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Our inspectors found that some women weren\u2019t routinely asked about domestic violence, despite evidence that pregnancy is a particularly high-risk period.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Some referrals had been missed or delayed.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We know the trust is aware of these issues and has started taking action, but there\u2019s more work to do to make sure every woman\u2019s safety needs are identified and acted on consistently.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Inspectors also found problems with the hospital environment.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ms Campbell said: “Water was leaking into clinical areas, mould had developed on the walls and ceilings of the postnatal ward, and there wasn\u2019t enough storage, meaning cleaning equipment was being kept near public toilets in the waiting area.\n<\/p>\n
\n “These issues need to be addressed to make sure the environment is safe, clean, and suitable for women, babies, and staff.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Inspectors also found that staff failed to update medicine records, leaving gaps in women\u2019s drug histories.\n<\/p>\n
\n Women were not given enough privacy on the postnatal ward.\n<\/p>\n
\n Leaders did not always act on staff concerns, and the trust failed to ensure a doctor was available in the pregnancy assessment unit.\n<\/p>\n
\n The inspection also found some good practice.\n<\/p>\n
\n The trust fully complied with the national maternity safety scheme and was running three improvement projects targeting the concerns found by inspectors.\n<\/p>\n
\n A team member also received a 2026 national award from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists for outstanding training and support for junior doctors.\n<\/p>\n
\n The trust must submit an action plan setting out how it will tackle the remaining concerns.\n<\/p>\n
\n The CQC will continue monitoring the service to check that it improves further.\n<\/p>\n
\n The full inspection report is expected on the CQC website in the coming days.\n<\/p>\n
\n In response, a spokesperson for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust said they have done a huge amount of work to improve their maternity services.\n<\/p>\n
\n The spokesperson also reiterated that the inspection took place in February, when inpatient maternity and neonatal services at Yeovil District Hospital were temporarily closed.\n<\/p>\n
\n This meant that babies who would have been born in Yeovil District Hospital were born at Musgrove Park Hospital and Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester.\n<\/p>\n
\n Those services at Yeovil District Hospital reopened in April 2026.\n<\/p>\n
\n Professor Deirdre Fowler, chief nurse and midwife for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: \u201cWe have done a huge amount of work to improve our maternity services since the CQC inspection in November 2023. Today\u2019s ratings and the CQC\u2019s report for maternity services at MPH and the trust\u2019s community midwifery services reflect the improvements we have made and the work that is needed to further improve maternity services across Somerset.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe thank the women and families, and the independent Somerset Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership, who continue to work with us to improve our services. We also thank our dedicated colleagues who strive to provide safe, compassionate care to women, babies, children and families in Somerset.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThis CQC inspection report highlights the pressure on maternity services at MPH during the period when maternity and neonatal services were temporarily closed at YDH. Services at YDH reopened in April, and we are responding to issues that the CQC raised.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe inspection report also highlights the impact of the old, outdated and cramped maternity unit at Musgrove Park Hospital on mothers, babies, families and maternity colleagues and the quality of care we are able to provide from these facilities. We have made as many improvements as possible to this building, but it is not fit for use in a modern NHS and needs to be replaced urgently.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe will continue to improve our services by acting on the findings of this inspection and the 10 Point Plan for maternity and neonatal services that followed the publication of the National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe are here to support anyone who is currently using our maternity services and has questions or concerns. Please reach out to your community midwife. Our trust\u2019s Patient Advice and Liaison Service and the independent Somerset Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership are also there to support you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A February inspection upgraded the service from \u2018inadequate\u2019, with enforcement action taken, to \u2018requires improvement\u2019. Inspectors found progress…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":759675,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[102,2960,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-759674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/759674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=759674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/759674\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/759675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=759674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=759674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=759674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}