Staff shortages cause birth centre and ward closures - how inspectors found maternity services had 'deteriorated' at one hospital
03.03.2023 - 10:17
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Staff shortages have led to 'frequent closures' of a Greater Manchester hospital's birthing centre, midwifery-led unit and postnatal wards, inspectors have found.
The issues have led to limited options for people giving birth and delays in patients being transferred to the labour ward, health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has said. Following a November inspection, the CQC has downgraded the rating of maternity services at Royal Bolton Hospital from 'good' to requires 'improvement' overall.
The service was found to 'not always manage safety incidents well', with a 'backlog of incidents awaiting review'. Bosses at the hospital trust say improvements are already well underway following the inspection.
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Bolton NHS Foundation Trust's maternity services provide care for patients in Bolton, Wigan, Bury and Salford, with Royal Bolton Hospital delivering around 5,500 babies a year.
Carolyn Jenkinson, the CQC’s deputy director of secondary and specialist healthcare, said: “When we visited maternity services at Royal Bolton Hospital, we found a deterioration in the standard of care being provided across the areas we looked at. However, there had been recent changes in the leadership team who had started to make some improvements.
“There were issues around staffing levels which led to frequent closures of the birthing centre and midwifery led hospital unit. This reduced the birthing options available to women and birthing people.
“Additionally, during the inspection one of the postnatal wards was closed due to staffing issues, which caused delays transferring people from the labour