Action plan agreed at Borders General Hospital after maternity services raise some concerns
Last updated 2 hours ago
An action plan has been put in place after an unannounced inspection of maternity services at Borders General Hospital raised some areas of concern.
The inspection by Healthcare Improvement Scotland focussed on the safe delivery of care within maternity services, including Ward 16 and the labour ward.
The inspection was carried out over two days in March, followed by a virtual discussion session in April.
Inspectors observed calm, person-centred care with good multidisciplinary working.
Staff were working together to maintain good communication and provide “compassionate, responsive and respectful care”.
Women and families spoken to were also complimentary of the care received and said they would recommend maternity services within the hospital to family and friends.
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The maternity unit was calm, tidy, clean and maintained to a high standard.
Senior midwifery and obstetric leaders were visible within the service and demonstrated active engagement with the wider maternity team.
However, during inspection some areas for improvement were identified.
Those included improved assurance of timely access to unscheduled care to support ongoing improvements in patient safety.
Further improvement was required in the timeliness of incident reviews and significant adverse event reviews, including baby deaths.
Other areas for improvement included assurance of fire safety requirements, ongoing improvement to the hospital environment, safe storage and management of medicines, access to interpretation services and improvements in the consistent application of the common staffing method.
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One area of requirement concerned a shower room on the main corridor of the labour ward which “frequently became excessively warm”, with the report adding that “there had been instances where patients had fainted”.
The inspection resulted in 10 areas of good practice, one recommendation and 10 requirements.
The report states: “A requirement in the inspection report means the hospital or service has not met the required standards and the inspection team are concerned about the impact this has on women and families using the hospital or service.
“We expect all requirements to be addressed and the necessary improvements implemented.
“A recommendation relates to best practice which Healthcare Improvement Scotland believe the NHS board should follow to improve standards of care. We expect NHS Borders to address the requirements.
“The NHS board must prioritise the requirements to meet national standards.”
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An improvement action plan has been developed by the NHS board and is available on the Healthcare Improvement Scotland website: http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org
Sarah Horan, NHS Borders executive director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals, said: “We are pleased that this report recognises the compassionate, person-centred care our staff provide every day, and the positive culture within our maternity services.
“That culture is fundamental to delivering safe, high-quality care and supporting people and families at such an important time in their lives.
“This report also reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering the best possible care for the people of the Borders and aligns closely with our Clinical Strategy, particularly our focus on helping people to start well from birth through safe, effective and person-centred maternity care.
“We value the opportunity to review and improve our performance so that we can continue delivering high quality care to our patients. I would like to thank the Inspectors for their report. It helps us reflect, learn and continue improving the care we provide.
“I would also like to thank all staff involved for their professionalism, dedication and the care they provide to women and families every day.”
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