Maternity services at Basildon Hospital and Southend Hospital, both managed by the Mid and South Essex NHS Trust, have been rated as requiring improvement in a new report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The inspection, conducted in January and March last year, flagged significant issues with staffing levels and inadequate equipment that could compromise patient safety and care quality.
Hazel Roberts, CQC deputy director of operations in the East of England, expressed concern over gaps in staffing, particularly at Southend Hospital, where a lack of medical cover in triage led to delays in patients being seen.
The hospital also lacked a dedicated triage telephone line staffed by a midwife, further delaying the identification and meeting of patient needs.
Basildon Hospital faced similar staffing challenges and also suffered from shortages of essential foetal monitoring equipment, some of which was overdue for testing.
Inspectors noted other deficiencies, including a lack of hot water in Southend’s maternity facilities, limiting patient access to showers and water births.
Leaders at Southend were aware of these shortcomings and were taking steps to address them, but delays in resolving these issues posed risks to patient health and safety.
Ms Roberts commended the kindness and responsiveness of staff at both hospitals, noting that patients reported being treated with respect and dignity.
However, she highlighted concerns about inconsistent leadership oversight, particularly at Basildon, where some staff felt unsupported by senior management.
At Southend, outdated policies on staffing risks and inconsistencies in care audits further compounded the issues.
Despite the challenges, there were positive findings. Patient care plans were described as thorough and person-centred, and patients were actively involved in decisions about their care.
The trust was also praised for its efforts to improve access and care quality for ethnic minority groups in collaboration with local maternity and neonatal voices partnerships.
The trust’s overall rating remains at “requires improvement”. CQC pledged to monitor the services closely and urged the trust to address identified deficiencies promptly to ensure patient safety and quality care.
In response to the findings, Diane Sarkar, Chief Nursing and Quality Officer for Mid and South Essex NHS Trust, said: “We are committed to providing high-quality, safe maternity care.
“However, this rating is not where we want to be, and we are working hard to improve.
“We made changes as soon as the inspection feedback was provided in March 2024.
“There have been several improvements to the quality of the maternity service since this inspection.
“Whilst we recognise there is still more to do, we are confident these changes have already improved maternity services and patient experience.”