Agenda item

Sarah Hayes, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Adaline Smith, Deputy Director of Midwifery and Tash Curtiss, Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology were in virtual attendance for this item. 

1.    The guests provided an overview of the report.  The Chair referenced an informal briefing held in October 2023 and noted that he had written to the Secretary of State, Victoria Atkins MP, on 14 November 2023 about capital funding constraints and would inform the committee when there was a response. 

1.1.The Singleton Midwife-led Unit at William Harvey Hospital was re-opening on 15 December 2023 after being closed for 3 years. This was a positive move for women, giving them more choice in their birthing options. All Members were invited to attend the opening with the details to be shared by the clerk. Improved facilities were also being opened for patients attending the triage service.

1.2.A lot of work was being undertaken to listen to the views of women who would be or had already given birth at one of the East Kent Hospitals. The Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership alongside the Independent Senior Advocates would visit the maternity wards weekly to speak to women about their experiences.

1.3.There was a national target to reduce to stillbirth and neo-natal deaths by 50% by 2025 (from 2010 figures). East Kent had a 1.7 stillbirth rate per 1000 and 0.87 neonatal deaths per 1000.

1.4.Ms Curtiss acknowledged how well staff were working as a team, including across disciplines, and the positive effect this was having on culture. There was also increased co-production with women.

2.    It was confirmed that the recently announced salary threshold for family visas did not apply to NHS workers. The committee would be updated if there were any further developments. 

3.    A Member asked to see more detail about stillbirths, including the role of health inequalities and variances in ethnicity data – this would be provided outside of the meeting. It was noted that such data helped the service target the most at-risk groups and drive improvements in care. Having been identified as a priority area, a Patient Voices Partnership had been appointed in East Kent to go into the community and support hard-to-reach women.  

4.    Asked about data on black and minority users of maternity services and the understanding of preventing any potential barriers to access, Ms Hayes said that there was work to do in this area but the data would be shared after the meeting. 

5.    In response to a question about training standards, Ms Hayes said that there were regular meetings with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) regarding placements. William Harvey Hospital welcomed the return of student midwives, with students from the University of Surrey on site. The chief nurses in Kent and Medway were working to re-establish links with Canterbury Christchurch University, and the progress was positive so far.  

6.    Much work was underway in relation to providing compassionate care. There had been a lot of positive feedback but there were still issues to be addressed. A patient experience midwife had been recruited and every woman who had used the maternity service would get a phone call 6-weeks after the birth to share their experiences. Support was in place for staff as well. The most recent Your Voice is Heard data showed that 92% of women would return to East Kent services and there would be a follow-up with those dissatisfied. 

7.    On governance, it was noted that there had been recommendations from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on board oversight, which had been strengthened since. There had been a full review of governance across the department. Within the complaint response process, it was noted that families were invited to provide input on the report if one was required after an incident and face-to-face meetings were being arranged before the sending of a full written response. 

RESOLVED that the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee note the report