The service is now rated ‘requires improvement’ by the Care Quality Commission, rather than ‘inadequate’, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

The maternity unit at North Middlesex University Hospital

Improvements made to North Middlesex University Hospital’s maternity unit have been welcomed by NHS trust bosses.

Peter Landstrom, chief executive at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust which took over running North Mid at the start of the year, welcomed news that the overall rating for the service had gone up from ‘inadequate’ to ‘requires improvement’.

It follows a recent update from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which had been urging the hospital’s maternity unit to improve since December 2023 when it highlighted a long list of issues.

Addressing a Royal Free London board meeting on Wednesday (4th), Peter said: “It really reflects the hard work and the dedication of the teams there [at North Mid].

“It’s a really positive step forward and it lends a strong foundation for continued improvement, but we know that there’s more to do.

“I think what’s fantastic is this gives continued momentum to the improvements that we will make.”

The upgrade came following a ‘focused inspection’ in January.

Lack of equipment, failure to complete risk assessments, staffing levels, poor documentation, poor culture, staff engagement and leadership were some of the issues highlighted by CQC back in 2023.

Now, the watchdog says there is more equipment in the department, a new handover tool to improve communication between midwives and doctors, and a dedicated breastfeeding midwife.

However, despite finding the culture had improved, the NHS trust was told more needed to be done to address bullying, discrimination and harassment within the department.

Mark Lam, Royal Free London’s chair, said the re-rating of maternity services was “really encouraging”, while non-executive director of the Whittington Health NHS Trust, Amanda Gibbon, added her congratulations. She said: “Clearly there is a little bit further to go on that one but it’s great to see it’s moving in the right direction.”

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