The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated maternity services at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, run by The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, as good following an inspection in October.
The inspection was carried out as part of CQC’s national maternity services inspection programme. This programme aims to provide an up-to-date view of the quality of hospital maternity care across the country, and a better understanding of what is working well to support learning and improvement locally and nationally.
Following this focused inspection, the maternity services rating at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital improved from requires improvement to good overall. Its rating for being well-led had also improved from requires improvement to good. The service has again been rated as requires improvement for being safe. Effective, caring and responsive were not included in this inspection.
The overall rating for The Queen Elizabeth Hospital remains requires improvement. The overall rating for The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust also remains requires improvement.
Inspectors found:
- There had been a significant improvement in the culture of the service since the last inspection. The service had an open culture where people could raise concerns without fear and be listened to
- Staff worked well together and focused on the needs of women, people using the service, and their babies
- The leaders and staff were aware that health differences can affect the treatment and care provided, especially for those from ethnic minorities and less privileged groups.