The trusts making least progress in improving maternity services

The trusts that have made the most and least progress on urgent recommendations set out by the Ockenden review have been revealed

Published in December 2020, the interim Ockenden review set out 12 immediate and essential actions for all trusts with maternity provision, grouped into seven themes, and in its latest board papers NHS England has set out the progress they have made.

The actions which trusts are struggling with most include “risk assessment throughout pregnancy” and clearly describing pathways of care in written information and posted on the trust websites.

According to the data, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust is the least compliant provider in England to date, as it is only fully compliant on one action.

Last summer Sheffield’s maternity service plunged to “inadequate” from “outstanding” following a Care Quality Commission inspection, with concerns raised about staffing numbers, training and a lack of an open culture.

Mid and South Essex Hospitals and York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals were compliant on five actions each. MSE is rated “requires improvement” by the CQC for maternity care, whereas YSTH is “good”.

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Source: HSJ, 20 May 2022