Hospital's maternity unit continuing to improve

Blackpool Victoria Hospital's maternity services are continuing to improve, an NHS report said, after a critical inspection last year.

A report by the NHS Trust's Head of Midwifery and Neonates, Cat Parkinson, said more than three quarters of the actions in an 80-point improvement plan set out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) watchdog had been implemented.

It said staffing levels had improved and no concerns were identified during another CQC visit earlier this year.

Patient satisfaction remains above 93%, although communication, waiting times and discharge delays remain areas needing further improvement.

The CQC team visited the maternity unit, which delivers about 3,000 babies every year, to follow up on concerns raised at the previous inspection in March last year.

Among the chief issues found then were challenges over staffing, with a lack of consultant availability causing delays for women with high-risk pregnancies and a worrying shortage of midwives, with specialist midwives frequently being redeployed to cover general absences, neglecting community care and home births.

The report said formal complaints had reduced and recurring improvement themes remain communication, waiting times, discharge, continuity, staffing pressures and the environment, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

In terms of incident management and learning from incidents, the report said that risk management, safety and governance processes had continued to develop following the successful recruitment of a Safety and Quality Lead for maternity.

"Monthly triangulation and targeted audits are in place to monitor whether actions result in demonstrable and sustained improvement," it said.

"The Trust remains committed to continuous improvement."

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