Home / Health / Worthing Hospital Maternity Services Downgraded by CQC
Worthing Hospital Maternity Services Downgraded by CQC
23 Sep
Summary
- Maternity services at Worthing Hospital dropped from good to requires improvement.
- Inspection found issues with safe care, treatment, and management.
- Trust acknowledges more work is needed to ensure patient safety.
Maternity services at Worthing Hospital have been downgraded by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), moving from a 'good' rating to 'requires improvement'. An inspection conducted in April identified significant issues with safe care and treatment, alongside concerns about overall management.
The CQC deputy director noted that while some actions had been taken since a prior inspection, progress was slow. She stated that the service was not consistently keeping women and babies safe, citing incomplete observations and delayed escalations in patient care records. Leaders were also found to be inadequately managing medicine administration.
Further findings included only one dedicated obstetric theatre for planned and emergency cesarean sections, increasing risks during obstetric emergencies. Despite these concerns, the trust has improved clinical outcomes for babies, with neonatal mortality rates now below the national average. Specialist midwives are employed to support diverse needs, and patient feedback regarding kindness and compassion during labor scored above the national average.
