Enter and View: Northampton General Hospital Maternity

Healthwatch North and West Northamptonshire’s aim with this Maternity evaluation was to evaluate the services being provided within Northampton General Hospital, which included visits to Maternity Day Unit, Barratt Birth Centre, Balmoral Ward, Labour Ward, Robert Watson Ward, and the Transitional Care Unit.

 The visit took place on 25 April 2023 and work was conducted in conjunction with the Northamptonshire Maternity Voice Partnership, whose chair attended the visit. The approach used in the assessment was a method known as the ’15 Steps Challenge’. This method is an audit toolkit developed by the NHS in 2012 that is used to look at quality of services from a service user perspective. It has a focus on whether a service is: welcoming, safe, caring and involving, and well-organised and calm.

The report identifies four key areas to address.

1. There is difficulty in recruiting and retaining staff, which is affected the quality of care in the unit and increasing stress of current staff. A fresh look at the way in which the shift patters are structed may make the job more attractive to those who have other responsibilities.
2. Staff do not feel that they receive enough breaks during their shift and morale is low. Senior staff could build in more visits to the ward so they are seen as present, as this does have an impact on staff feeling valued, as well as giving senior staff an appreciation for front line pressures.
3. Whilst understanding that a lot of the issues with appearance and space in the ward come down to funding issues, the report nonetheless recommends some ways the budget could be reformatted, and more funds made available for specific things.
4. There are some improvements to the general décor and visual environment of the wards that could be made.