Ealing Hospital Vows to Act After Damning Maternity Report
Midwives point to language problems and too few midwives
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The health trust that runs Ealing Hospital's maternity services has promised to act following a damning review.
Ealing Hospital NHS Trust was in the worst category of the 'least well performing' in the national survey conducted by the Healthcare Commission.
It scored just one out of five for offering expectant mothers information, a choice of scans and tests, and performed equally badly in integrating support staff and delivering antenatal care in its hospitals.
Following the report, migration has been cited as a factor in London's maternity units failings. In parts of Greater London, seven out of 10 babies are now delivered to mothers born overseas. And whilst the number of babies born to British mothers has fallen by 44,000 a year since the mid-1990s, the figure for babies born to foreign mothers has risen by 64,000 - a 77% increase which has pushed the overall birth-rate to its highest level for 26 years.
One midwife told EalingToday that the biggest problem midwives at Ealing Hospital face is the language barrier. Often midwives are unable to administer pain relief such as epidurals as it is seen as being too invasive a procedure to perform when the patient clearly hasn't understood its implications.
The trust received good results for helping mothers to start breast feeding, and having adequate staff levels. But the overall assessment for the trust, which runs Ealing Hospital, in Uxbridge Road, Southall, was one of 19 in London in the bottom category of Least Well Performing.
Anna Walker, chief executive of the Healthcare Commission, said: "The review raises real concerns about performance in London. London trusts need to rise to these challenges to provide a more satisfactory service for women."
Paul Reeves, director of nursing at the trust, said the report confirmed their own findings. "Although we are disappointed with a Least Well Performing' score from the Healthcare Commission, we recognise and accept all the issues they have raised with us."
He said: "One matter we are addressing is to look at ways to develop our maternity unit to meet the changing, and increasing, needs of mothers who are now using the service and are from new cultural and ethnic groups, for example the local Polish community."
He said: "One matter we are addressing is to look at ways to develop our maternity unit to meet the changing, and increasing, needs of mothers who are now using the service and are from new cultural and ethnic groups, for example the local Polish community."
The trust's action plan includes investment in new maternity equipment, and an increased emphasis on midwifery-led care.
The trust is seeking to recruit six new midwives "as a matter of urgency" to try to improve its maternity services.
“We have drawn up a list of actions which include: introducing new ways of working for the staff including midwifery led care; improving partnership working with mothers and their families; increasing care being provided out into the community; and investing in new equipment. Also, under our new priority we aim to improve the mother’s total experience throughout the hospital. We will be looking at how we can make the overall experience of giving birth at Ealing Hospital a more women (family/partner) focused experience.
“The quality of our midwives is very high and we continue to recruit new midwives to meet our standards. ”
January 30, 2008