Maternity services provided by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have been praised by new mothers for listening, explaining and respecting their views and decisions, a new survey by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has revealed.

The survey, carried out last year, showed that areas where service users’ experience is best included being given information about where to have their baby during ante-natal check-ups, being able to see or speak to a midwife as much as they wanted during their care after birth and being taken seriously when raising concerns.  

Other areas where the Trust scored well included giving women adequate time to ask questions during ante-natal check-ups, and having confidence and trust in staff.

The survey did highlight some areas for improvement, including partners or other carers being allowed to stay in hospital, the amount of health information and advice available during the first six weeks after birth, and being given appropriate information and advice on the benefits associated with an induced labour, before being induced.

Carolyn Mills, Chief Nursing Officer at the Royal Devon, said: “These results reflect the hard work, effort and dedication of our maternity staff. I am pleased to see their commitment to their patients coming through in these results.

“The survey did also flag some areas where we could improve and we will be looking at how we can address these to improve the care we give to women in our care.”

In total, 391 women were approached in the survey, of whom 52% responded, higher than the national average of 41%.

The Trust will now study these results, particularly in areas where is scored less well, to see what improvements can be made for women using maternity services.

The full survey results can be found on the CQC website at https://www.cqc.org.uk/provider/RH8/surveys/36