Hospital bucks national trend by revealing positive maternity survey results

Maternity patients at Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital have scored the care and treatment they received in the Care Quality Commission 2023 maternity survey.Results of the national survey, which was completed by 150 people at The QEH during February last year, have now been published. They reveal what patients think about the care they received and areas that can be improved, writes MATTHEW HILL.Out of 24 areas that were scored, 23 were within or above the expected range and examined areas such as antenatal care, labour and delivery as well as postnatal care up to six weeks post birth.

Patients scored the trust highly, with a score of more than nine out of 10, in areas including; being treated with dignity and respect, communication, partner involvement, cleanliness of the hospital ward/room and appropriate information and advice on the benefits of induced labour.At a national level, the 2023 maternity survey shows that people’s experiences of care have deteriorated in the last five years.However, at the QEH one of the top-scoring questions, which had a 9.5 out of 10 rating, looked at mental health support.Key advances since the 2022 survey included being better involved in decision-making during labour and birth. Pain management was an area that required improvement.Esther Dorken, acting head of midwifery at QEH, said: “I am really happy with the results. It shows the brilliant team that we have here. We use these results to see what we are doing well and how we can do even better for our patients. We have clear action plans to address those areas that need focus and have already implemented changes since the survey in February 2023.”Pippa Street, chief nurse at QEH, said: “I would like to thank all the patients who took the time to complete this survey. Their feedback is incredibly valuable to inform us of the areas of improvement in the maternity journey as well as the areas we excel in. Our maternity team work with this essential feedback to guide our future planning in delivering the best possible care for our mothers, babies, partners and families.”