Northumbria Healthcare ranked among best in country for maternity care

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published the results of the 2022 maternity survey, with the report summarising the experiences of almost 21,000 women who gave birth across the country in February 2022.

Last year, Northumbria Healthcare was ranked among the best in the country despite the overall national results suggesting that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic had led to poorer experiences for some.

Now, the trust has been featured in an outliers report for 2022 for its performance being ‘better than expected’, because the proportion of women who answered positively to questions about their care during labour and birth, and on the ward after the birth, ‘was significantly above the trust average’.

Northumbria Healthcare is one of just seven trusts in the positive outliers report, with the survey involving a total of 121 NHS trusts across England. This is against a national backdrop of a ‘decline in positive maternity experiences’, according to the CQC.

Jenna Wall, Northumbria Healthcare’s head of midwifery, said: “I was really pleased with our performance in the survey last year, so I’m delighted that we have not only been able to maintain that level but even improve on it by being highlighted among the best trusts in the country.

“Our staff continue to work incredibly hard to deliver safe, compassionate and personalised care to our patients, so it is reassuring that this is appreciated by those giving birth with us and that they are having a positive experience under our care.”