Women moved to sofa beds after giving birth - CQC

Some parents said they were moved to sofa beds in a postnatal ward after giving birth due to "high capacity", a report found.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has upgraded its rating of maternity services at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford from inadequate to requires improvement.

Inspectors said they were pleased to see some changes, but they highlighted issues such as the high capacity.

The hospital trust said the latest report was a "positive start".

"We were pleased to find some improvements in safety and people's privacy and dignity," said Rob Assall, CQC director of operations in the East of England.

"The trust should continue to build on these foundations."

Inspectors previously visited the hospital's maternity services in March and placed them in special measures.

The CQC did not publish this particular report until 3 January.

The follow-up assessment took place on 24 and 25 July, and the result of that inspection was published this week.

Staff said it was challenging to manage patient flow through the department, the most recent report found.

"Some told us due to high capacity in the department after delivery, they had been moved to a room with a sofa bed as there was no beds available," the report said.

"They told us they felt this was not appropriate after just giving birth."

The postnatal ward has 20 beds, which is a mix of individual rooms and bays.

Staff felt they were unable to give parents the "care and support needed" and some said there was a "direct link between pressures to discharge and the readmission of patients back to the unit".

Obstetricians did not always involve women and birthing people in conversations about pre-term delivery and other care options, the report also said.

The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust noted the "positive feedback" that was given to the CQC by families.

Chief executive Matthew Hopkins said it was "great to see" that significant improvements had been recognised.

"While this demonstrates progress made, we know that we still have more to do to further improve our maternity services," he said.

The report also noted that staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities, answered call bells in a "timely way" and were "always polite, caring and compassionate".

The CQC said publication of the report was delayed because of a large-scale transformation within its own organisation.

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