Southend University Hospital

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• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Women and birthing people reported feeling involved in planning and decision-making for their care. They could access services through their GP or by contacting community midwives directly. Our review of records showed detailed risk assessments and personalised care plans were recorded. Although waiting times were monitored, some women and birthing people experienced delays before being reviewed by doctors. Senior managers were aware of this and had plans to reduce waiting times in triage.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Women and birthing people reported feeling involved in planning and decision-making about their care and treatment, including discharge planning. The maternity patient survey for Southend University Hospital showed that 91% of women and birthing people felt that they were treated with respect and dignity during labour and birth and 86% were able to get a member of staff to help when needed.

We reviewed 5 sets of records for individuals, and they addressed their physical, mental, emotional, and social needs. Staff reported that they personalised care plans for women and birthing individuals, tailoring them to individual needs and preferences. They also noted that these plans were discussed during morning staff huddles. Risk assessments were conducted and regularly reviewed to identify women with mental health issues, learning difficulties, and other additional needs.

The service had systems and processes to ensure women’s and birthing people’s physical, mental, emotional, and social needs were assessed and documented in their care plans, including those related to protected characteristics under the Equality Act. The notes for women and birthing individuals were comprehensive and demonstrated that individualised care was provided, particularly for those with complex care needs or high-risk pregnancies. A “10 day discharge” audit showed that from October 2023 to March 2024 an average of 98% of women or birthing people were discharged on or within 10 days. This ensured that care continued as long as necessary to meet the needs of newborn babies.

We did not look at Care provision, Integration and continuity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Providing Information during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Listening to and involving people during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

Women and birthing people we spoke to reported they could access maternity services through their GP or by contacting community midwives directly. Additionally, women and birthing people could self-refer by phone or by completing an online booking form. However, 1 patient mentioned that they were called to appointments not really knowing what it was for and had seen multiple consultants and none had given her an explanation what the appointment was for.

Leaders monitored waiting times to ensure women and birthing individuals could access maternity services, including unplanned care in triage, within agreed timeframes and national targets. However, some women and birthing individuals experienced delays before being seen by doctors. Senior managers had plans to reduce triage wait times and introduce a dedicated telephone line to improve equitable access. Everyone had equal access to care, treatment, and support. Senior managers reported that the service worked closely with external organisations, such as the local integrated care board and the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP), to identify barriers to patient experience and discuss improvements. This collaboration led to recommendations for more investment into staff training and improved communication with women and birthing people within the community. Through these partnerships, the service engaged with women and birthing individuals to enhance support for those at risk and to provide education and information. The physical premises and equipment were accessible. Staff described the actions they took to ensure all women and birthing individuals received the care and treatment they needed.

The maternity triage service operates 24/7 with continuous staffing. Dedicated medical coverage for triage and maternity assessment is available on weekdays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Outside these hours, including weekends, coverage was shared between gynaecology and maternity assessment, leading to longer wait times for reviews for women and their birthing partners. Additionally, the service offers Maternity Direct, a dedicated chat service for non-urgent pregnancy advice, accessible from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM, seven days a week, excluding bank holidays, as mentioned on their social media page. Reasonable adjustments and communication aids, such as interpreters and language lines, were used to assess and care for women and birthing people whose first language was not English. However, some staff reported occasional difficulties accessing the language line for unplanned triage assessments. In these cases, they resorted to using colleagues, the women's or birthing people's families, or online translation websites, which was not in line with best practice.

We did not look at Equity in experiences and outcomes during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Planning for the future during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.