Mothers rate our Maternity Units as top two in London
Dedicated maternity teams at Epsom and St Helier have received the best scores in London by new mums.
Hundreds of mums took part in a Care Quality Commission (CQC) survey where maternity staff at Epsom and St Helier were praised for their care of women and babies.
The maternity services at St George’s also scored joint second best in the capital.
The CQC’s report – which was published this morning – showed there had been improvements in a number of areas compared to previous years.
Mums said they had a higher level of trust and confidence in staff caring for them and there was an improvement regarding partners being able to stay and be involved in care. They were also praised for their kindness and compassion.
Both St George’s and Epsom and St Helier also performed better in a number of areas when compared to other trusts in the country – including treating people with dignity and respect during their antenatal appointments.
Jacqueline Totterdell, Group Chief Executive, said:
“We’re so proud of our midwives and doctors, and the findings demonstrate that people have confidence in our maternity services and put their trust in our staff – which is testament to the professionalism and compassion they show every single day.
“We are making improvements in our care by listening to the lived experiences of women and birthing people, and it’s wonderful to hear so many feel they have been treated with kindness and compassion in our hospitals.”
Arlene Wellman MBE, Group Chief Nursing Officer, added:
“Our incredible staff care passionately about giving mums and babies personalised care and support and take joy in watching families grow. What matters the most to us is that women are noticing the changes we are making. We know improvements are needed in our maternity units and many others across the country following national reviews and CQC inspections, but we are determined to make things better by involving women and their families, and listening to our staff who deliver their care.”
Every year, caring staff deliver about 7,600 babies across the three hospitals.
Just two months ago, ITV’s Loose Women gave a glimpse into the care provided by maternity teams after presenters Nadia Sawalha and Judi Love shadowed staff for the day.
Nadia and Judi met midwives Andrea Cox and Anne Okonkwo to gain personal insight into the job, witnessed a c-section, and spoke to staff about their midwifery careers.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Among the measures surveyed by the Care Quality Commission, maternity services in England were scored out of 10 for labour and birth, staff caring for you and care in hospital after birth.
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust scored 9/10 for labour and birth, and scored an average of 8.7/10 across all three measures, placing the Trust best in London.
St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust placed joint second, scoring an average of 8.53/10 across the three measures.
Other improvements include:
- Women said they had been treated with kindness and compassion during pregnancy and birth, scoring women 9.2/10 at St George’s and Epsom and St Helier 9.3/10.
- More women were treated with dignity and respect during antenatal care – up 6% at Epsom and St Helier and 2% at St George’s Hospital to 9.6/10 at both trusts – better than the national average.
- Women had high levels of trust and confidence in the staff caring for them – up from 8.3 to 9/10 (better than average) at Epsom and St Helier, whilst remaining high at 8.7/10 at St George’s.
- Partners being able to stay and be involved in care was scored better than average, up from 9 to 9.3/10 at St George’s and 9.6 to 9.9/10 at Epsom and St Helier.
The full CQC survey results can be found for Epsom and St Helier here and St George’s is here.
The methodology used is explained on the CQC website.
The 2023 maternity survey involved 121 NHS trusts in England. Almost 19,000 (43%) women who gave birth between 1 and 28 February 2023 responded to the national survey. This included 252 responses at St George’s (42%) and 131 at Epsom and St Helier (44%).
St George’s Hospital and Epsom and St Helier Hospitals are part of the St George’s Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Heath Group.
