- NHS hospital
Southend University Hospital
Report from 16 January 2025 assessment
Ratings - Maternity
Our view of the service
Southend University Hospital is part of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. Southend University Hospital is a district general hospital located in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. The hospital has approximately 730 beds, including medical, surgical, maternity, women’s, children’s, and critical care beds. An assessment was conducted in March 2024 due to concerns about the safety and quality of services. The decision to assess was influenced by information received and a previous inspection, which took place between August and October 2022 at which the maternity service was rated as requires improvement. The March 2024 assessment focused on the Maternity services, evaluating them based on five key criteria: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led. Following the assessment the Safe key criteria has resulted in a good rating however Responsive and Well-led remain as requires improvement.
People's experience of this service
Women and birthing people generally experienced positive outcomes, effective monitoring and improvement approaches were in place. Staff were described as kind, caring, friendly, and thorough, although some women felt improvement was needed around waiting times. Women, birthing people, relatives, and carers knew how to complain, and managers effectively investigated complaints, identified themes, and shared feedback with staff to improve the service. When patients moved between services or settings, clear plans were in place to ensure smooth transitions and practical arrangements. Women and birthing people could access care and support when needed, promoting equality and removing barriers. The environment was safe, clean, and well-equipped, featuring a dedicated bereavement suite to meet the needs of women, birthing people, and their families. Women and birthing people felt involved in planning and decision-making about their care, including discharge planning. They could access maternity services through their GP, community midwives, self-referral by phone, or an online booking form. The maternity services at Mid and South Essex NHS Trust (MSE) was rated "worse than expected" in the NHS National Patient Survey Programme published in February 2024. Although the results were not specific to individual sites, they have been included in this report since MSE maternity services continue to be an outlier.