Lewisham and Greenwich maternity services ‘good’ overall, but ‘can still do better’

The nation’s chief health watchdog has rated maternity services at both University Hospital Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital ‘good overall’ – with ‘room for improvement’ caveats.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) published a report today, following August inspections of the two maternity services run by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust.

The inspection was carried out as part of the CQC’s national maternity services inspection programme, which aims to provide an up-to-date view of the quality of hospital maternity care across the country.

At University Hospital Lewisham, the maternity services rating improved from good to outstanding for being well-led, its rating for being safe remains as ‘good’.

At Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the maternity services ratings remain as good for being well-led and for being safe.

The overall ratings for University Hospital Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital remain requires improvement. The overall rating for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust also remains requires improvement.

Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC’s deputy director of secondary and specialist healthcare, said: “When we inspected the maternity services at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, we saw a service that provided good care to women, people using the service and their babies.

“Leaders had created an open culture where people could raise concerns without fear and be listened to. People told us they were happy with the care and support they had received while using these services.

“Staff worked well together to help everyone using the service. They knew how to keep people safe from harm. Staff kept detailed records of the care they gave and learned from any safety problems that happened.”

Pictured top: The plaque outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Picture: Wikimedia Commons/PaulW)