The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) 2023 Maternity Survey results have been welcomed by the team at Hampshire Hospitals as they demonstrate positive progress on the previous year’s results and provide reassuring insight for expectant parents.
The survey showed year-on-year improvements across the pregnancy, birth, and postnatal journey, with feedback from 243 women and their families – a response rate ten per cent higher than the national average.
Speaking about the survey, Julie Dawes, chief nurse at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust says: “These survey results should give expectant parents reassurance that they will receive the very best in care from our maternity team.
“Independent surveys, such as this by the CQC, provide confirmation that the considerable work undertaken by our staff to improve maternity services at Hampshire Hospitals is being experienced by patients.
“While we welcome this independent endorsement of the quality of our care, we are conscious of the need to improve some areas of communication, particularly around previous medical history and discussing birth experiences. These points are being addressed as we seek to explore ways to build the on progress achieved.”
Highlights from the survey that demonstrate the positive progress made by the maternity teams at Hampshire Hospitals include:
|
Question |
Response |
|
Antenatal Care |
|
| Did you have confidence and trust in the staff caring for you during your antenatal care? | 8.5 – up from 7.6 in 2022 |
| Were you given enough support for your mental health during your pregnancy? | 9.2 – up from 8.8 in 2022 |
|
Labour and Birth |
|
| Thinking about your care during labour and birth, were you spoken to in a way you could understand? | 9.4 – up from 9.1 in 2022 |
| Thinking about your stay in hospital, if your partner or someone else close to you was involved in your care, were they able to
stay with you as much as you wanted? |
8.9 – up from 3.0 in 2022 |
|
Postnatal Care |
|
| Did you have confidence and trust in the midwife or
midwifery team you saw or spoke to after going home? |
8.7 – up from 8.0 in 2022 |
| Did you feel that the midwife or midwifery team that you saw or spoke to always listened to you? | 9.0 – up from 8.2 in 2022 |
The survey also showed that among respondents:
- Most expectant mothers were aged between 30 – 34, and nearly 41 per cent were aged over 35.
- There was also a rise in the numbers of Black and Asian respondents, up to 28 per cent from 8 per cent the previous year – a positive step given concerns highlighted by MBRRACE-UK around increased risks in pregnancy and delivery experienced by Black and Asian women.
A key piece of work already underway is the introduction of new antenatal evening classes about infant feeding, as the feedback showed that families would welcome the early insight.
