CQC report says 1 in 4 maternity services require improvement

on 19 October 2020

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) State of Maternity Care report has been published, citing that 1 in 4 maternity services required improvement.

The report also highlighted the impact of poor working relationships in some maternity services and that black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities often have poorer outcomes when it came to maternity care.

It has been established that black women are five times more likely to die in pregnancy, and Asian women twice as likely to die than white women.

Commenting on the CQC report, CEO of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Gill Walton said: “There is no doubt that there are challenges in maternity services that need addressing. It is also important to stress that most services are delivering safe, high quality care, even in the middle of a pandemic.

“Where services do need improvement we must support them to be better by tackling poor working relationships between professions, giving midwifery a real voice in the leadership of trusts, and making sure maternity services have the staff and resources to make care safer and better.”

The report also looked into the impact Coronavirus (COVID-19) has had on maternity services, stating that “The crisis has accelerated innovation that had previously proved difficult to mainstream.

“The changes have proved beneficial to, and popular, with many. But many of these innovations exclude people who do not have good digital access, and some have been rushed into place during the pandemic.”

The final section of the report focuses on the future and looking at challenges and opportunities ahead, “There needs to be a new deal for the adult social care workforce that reaches across health and care – one that develops clear career progression, secures the right skills for the sector, better recognises and values staff, invests in their training and supports appropriate professionalism.”

The CQC report can be found here.