A report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found that improvements are needed in the maternity services at Dorset County Hospital.

The inspection, carried out on the unit in Dorchester, saw its rating downgraded from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement.’

As well as the overall rating for maternity services declining, the rating from how well-led the service is has been lowered from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate.’

Maternity services are provided to the population of west and north Dorset, including Dorchester, Weymouth, Portland, and Purbeck, and are run by the Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

The safety of the service also requires improvement, whilst the service’s effectiveness, caring and responsiveness wasn’t rated during the inspection.

As a result of the change in ratings to the maternity service, the overall rating for Dorset County Hospital at a location level has declined from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement.’

The trust’s overall rating at a provider level remains unchanged as good overall.

During the inspection, it was reported that medicines ‘weren’t managed safely,’ as inspectors found out of date medicines.

Inspectors also escalated concerns about the availability of emergency blood pressure medicine on the day of inspection. Staff said the same issue had been raised around two months earlier, demonstrating ‘a slow response from leaders.’

The inspection also found that staff were ‘not always up to date on mandatory training’ which included basic life support training.

Pre-term births were also 'not monitored adequately,' which is highlighted in the report. It found that the service had recognised issues with premature babies inappropriately as the right level of neonatal care provision, presenting a risk to mothers, people using the service and babies.

Inspectors also found that the service ‘didn’t have enough medical staff with the right qualifications, skills, training and experience to keep women, people using the service, and babies safe from avoidable harm and to provide the right care and treatment.’ They found that the medical staff rota ‘wasn’t sustainable’ and relied on individuals rather than processes.

The report also highlighted that staff ‘openly and actively’ engage with women, people using the service, staff and the public. The service also ‘understood how to protect people from abuse’ and worked well with other agencies to do so, according to the report.

A spokesperson for the Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “DCH has taken action to address areas for improvement highlighted by the CQC following an inspection of its maternity services.

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s Chief Nursing Officer Jo Howarth said: “We understand that this report may cause concern for people and families using our maternity services. However, I want to reassure people we took immediate action to address the issues raised by inspectors and now have specialist advisors working alongside our maternity team with a detailed improvement plan."

The Chief Nursing Officer went on to say that while the CQC reported 'some concerns,' the inspectors praised staff for their levels of care, 'being focused on the needs of women receiving care.' 

“This report is important for us, helping us to focus on the improvements that will ensure local people get the high quality and safe services they rightly expect,” she added.  

The inspection was carried out in June as part of the CQC’s national maternity services inspection programme, which provides an up-to-date view of the maternity care quality in hospitals.