Basildon Hospital maternity unit is slammed (From Echo)

Basildon Hospital maternity unit is slammed

9:00am Wednesday 17th March 2010 in

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THE safety of mums-to-be and weak leadership at Basildon Hospital’s maternity department have been highlighted in a new report.

A review of services, carried out by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, criticised wards as “small and cramped” and it also stated “the safety of the service was compromised” because half of pregnant mums were left alone while in labour.

It also highlights a “perceived lack of confidence” in the ability of chief executive Alan Whittle and director of nursing Maggie Rogers to instill leadership and teamwork among nurses and midwives.

The worrying findings also revealed the hospital has the most midwife vacancies in the East of England – with 19 per cent of jobs unfilled.

Furthermore, just over a third are in temporary or short-term posts.

Hospital bosses have now been told to improve standards of care and implement a stringent recruitment plan for midwives straight away.

However, there were also positive findings in the report, including clean and tidy maternity and gynaecological units and high standards in education among students working in the departments.

Overall, the review did find improvements had been made since the hospital was slated in a report by the Care Quality Commission last October over poor hygiene standards in the A&E unit.

Professor Dickon Weir-Hughes, the NMC chief executive and registrar, said while many of the report’s findings were “largely reassuring”, an improvement in leadership was needed.

He added: “This is not the first time issues of poor care have been linked to leadership.

“We have invited senior management at the hospital to meet with us in the coming year to discuss their role in effectively safeguarding patients and the public."

Other concerns raised included how midwives often found it hard to get an obstetrician to consult on women’s care, or to get doctors to discharge babies to go home.

There was also a need for improved communication channels between senior staff and those on the wards.

Prof Weir-Hughes added how recommended improvements at the hospital would be monitored by the NMC with a series of meetings over the coming year.

Hospital spokesman Pat Trinnaman said the council’s review was carried out in December following concerns raised by the Quality Care Commission.

She added: “The recommendations the NMC makes are largely already being addressed through the current work we are undertaking, which is being overseen by Monitor (hospital healthcare regulator). And any issues not already covered will be added, and we will respond in full to the NMC to reassure them.

“It was acknowledged at the end of November that it would take at least six months to address all of the regulatory concerns. We are only half way through that period, but are making demonstrable progress.”