‘Friendly staff but more could be done to improve the space’, says healthwatch group on Northampton General Hospital’s maternity services

A healthwatch group, which assessed the maternity services at Northampton General Hospital (NGH), says more could be done to improve the space.

Two volunteers from Healthwatch North and West Northamptonshire visited the town’s hospital on April 25, this year as part of a 15 steps report.

According to a report published online this month, NGH invited the group to the site after its latest maternity services Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating, which labelled the service as ‘requires improvement’.

The aim of the visit was to “look at the quality of service provided from the perspective of the service user” and to “gather new insight into ways in which the service can improve”.

What the report says

Maternity day unit

The volunteers say the ultrasound rooms were “clean and uncluttered” but these rooms and the waiting room “lacked a welcoming feel”. The report says “more could be done to improve the space”.

Assessors also praised the outdoor seating area within this unit that staff can use on breaks.

Barratt Birth Centre and Balmoral ward

Assessors said: “The overall impression we received was that there was an emphasis on providing a relaxed minimal intervention approach to those who entered the centre.

“One user described the experience as giving birth in a hotel room rather than a hospital – not quite a home birth but a relaxing atmosphere.”

The report continues: “The unit did not give the impression of being busy and the atmosphere was generally calm.

“There is a ‘Welcome to the Baby Centre’ board within the unit, this is beneficial to provide information, however, we felt more could be done.”

Robert Watson ward

The assessors explained that corridors were used for storage on one side to allow for access, which they say gave a “cluttered effect”.

The assessors added: “The midwives’ office was busy and contained notice boards and information which appeared quite cluttered and messy.

“We found that the space in the Robert Watson was quite small, and we felt that there was a lack of privacy in the bays, due to the beds being so close together. Although the area was clean, we felt it appeared to be well-used and aged.”

Conclusion

Summarising, the assessors said staff are “friendly and helpful” and “give the impression that they are dedicated to their jobs”. They added that the ward is “clean and safe” and the birthing suites are “well equipped” and the en-suites are “spacious and private”.

However, staff feel that they do not get sufficient breaks, staff shortages are an issue, the environment is in need of “additional decor”, the notice boards could be “organised and utilised more effectively” and there is a need for the service to improve on its approach regarding inclusivity and equality measures, as it was noticed that those who do not speak English as their first language struggle due to a lack of informational materials available in other languages.

The assessors added: “We feel that the impacts of the lack of staff are affecting the quality of care in the unit and increasing the stress of current staff.”

To improve the issue, the assessors suggested a “fresh” look at the way shift patterns are structured.

In terms of staff breaks, Healthwatch is recommending that it be looked into whether volunteers could be used to provide staff with drinks and snacks mid-way through a shift.

To address staff morale, the assessors advised that more senior members of staff build in more visits to the wards.

The volunteers are also suggesting a reformatting of the budget to make more funds available to buy more observation and monitoring equipment, give certain walls a lick or paint and buy decor such as paintings and plants to make the spaces more “welcoming”, and to buy IT materials such as tablets to make information more accessible.

The report also recommends that a member of staff be made responsible for each notice board, to make sure it is kept up to date.

What the hospital and Healthwatch have said

Paula Morgan-Clow, lead professional midwifery advocate at Northampton General Hospital said: “We are proud of our maternity services at NGH and it is very important that we listen to and act upon service users' feedback so we can continue to improve our services for the families we care for.”

Gabriella Van Beek, Healthwatch North and West Northamptonshire manager added: “It has been very impactful to be present again within NGH after the pandemic and we look forward to future visits.”

Visit the Healthwatch website to read the full report.