Barnet maternity care among the worst

12:55pm Friday 25th January 2008

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Maternity care in Barnet is among the worst in the country, according to an independent review published today.

The Healthcare Commission rated Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust as "least well performing" - the lowest rank on a four-point scale.

The Royal Free NHS Trust was judged "fair performing" - the second lowest rank.

The national watchdog assessed all 148 NHS trusts in England to produce the most comprehensive assessment ever on the maternity service. It covered clinical effectiveness, women-centred care, and the efficiency and capability of services.

The comparative review found significant variations in the quality of care across the country. Overall, 70 per cent of London trusts were judged "least well performing", compared to only 21 per cent in England as a whole. In the north of England, three-quarters of trusts came in the top two categories, compared to 30 per cent in the capital.

A spokesman for Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust said the trust had developed a detailed action plan to improve its services. Planned changes include the increase of £850,000 investment for additional midwives; increased consultant obstetric input on the labour ward; and improving communication with women.

Averil Dongworth, Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Hospital Trust chief executive, said: "I am confident with the changes we have now made, and the detailed action plan in place, we are providing better and safer care for local women and that next year we will see an improvement in our score."

Dr Vivienne van Someren, clinical director for women and children's services at the Royal Free NHS Hospital Trust, said that they had not realised before how women's perceptions of their service and the trust's perceptions of it were different.

She said: "We must work harder at our communications. Although over 75 per cent of women report a good experience during their pregnancy and labour, we want every woman to have a good experience in every part of our maternity service.

"Our scores for the postnatal period are a particular concern. This report will be a significant asset in helping us fine tune the wide-ranging programme of work we already have underway."

The Healthcare Commission did a survey of more than 26,000 mothers and collected data in 25 categories to compile the report, which examined the period from when a woman first contacts a maternity service to her final contact with a midwife.

Anna Walker, the commission's chief executive, said: "There have been serious concerns about maternity services, which is why we have carried out a wide-ranging review. We have deliberately made the experience of women central to this review.

"Being put in the least well performing category does not mean that a service is unsafe. The purpose of the review is to encourage improvement and get all trusts performing to the standard of the best.

"The review raises real concerns about performance in London. There are a number of factors that may have influenced these results, such as lower staffing levels and the mobility and mix of the population. But London trusts need to rise to these challenges. We and NHS London will do all that we can to support this."