Enter and view: South Lakes Birth Centre, Barrow
Summary of report content
Healthwatch Westmorland and Furness were commissioned by the Lancashire and South Cumbria Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership to undertake an announced enter and view visit of South Lake Birth Centre at Furness General Hospital. They spoke to 6 patients, 2 relatives and 7 staff.
The Birth Centre was easy to access. It was quiet and clean. It cares for a range of women with different care needs during pregnancy and birth. It has individual rooms which provided patients with privacy and allowed partners to stay overnight.
Most patients felt that staff communicated their assessments and care plans well in a way they could understand. Some felt that communication was better from midwives compared to consultants.
However, staff said that there were continued shortages of staff, a high use of international midwives, whose training and understanding of their duties is inconsistent and that a different model of care would improve patient experience.
The report contains 13 recommendations and a response from the provider.
You can read the report here.