The maternity teams at Frimley Park and Wexham Park Hospitals have both been applauded by health watchdogs for their good and improving services.

In light of public attention into maternity care nationally following serious safety concerns at other hospitals, the Care Quality Commission decided to review the services at both facilities across East Berkshire as part of the national maternity inspection program.

Although the overall rating for the Trust was ‘Good’, inspectors found that Frimley Park care and maternity services were outstanding.

Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC deputy director of secondary and specialist care, said: “We found people generally received good care at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust maternity services.

“Leaders had the skills and abilities to help staff meet the needs of women and other people using services. They also supported and encouraged staff to develop their skills for the benefit of people using services.

“We found staff managing challenges well and working to continually improve services for people using them. This included engaging well with women and birthing people using the service to plan and manage their care.”

The CQC report was published on September 13 and highlighted several areas of good practice across the two trust sites.

These areas include the implementation and use of MAMAS Line, our 24-hour maternity triage and advice phone service, birthing plans that are co-produced with safeguarding teams, and our work in areas such as cultural sensitivities and health inequalities. 

Inspectors who conducted the visits outlined a few areas where the facility could improve its services for both mothers and babies. Staffing levels and compliance with training were highlighted as needing improvement.

Chief of Nursing and Midwifery Lorna Wilkinson has thanked staff for maintaining good levels of service through some challenging circumstances.

She added: “We are of course very pleased with this result and are still committed to continuously improving our services, not only meeting the expectations of those who use them but exceeding them.

“We have confidence in our ability to further develop our maternity services and the recent inspection highlighted some areas of improvement including mandatory training and staffing levels. We have already embarked on a focused programme of improvements and will ensure these areas are tackled as a priority.”