Healthwatch East Sussex review of maternity services provided by East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
Launching today (22nd January 2016), Healthwatch East Sussex would like to hear from women and their families, who have used maternity services provided by East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust since March 2015 (services provided at the Conquest Hospital in Hastings, and the Eastbourne District General Hospital).
On this occasion we will not be collecting information on Crowborough birthing centre, as this is in the process of being transferred to the management of a new provider.
Comments will be treated anonymously if preferred, and will directly contribute to the review.
The call for evidence closes on 22 February 2016.
How to get involved
You can share your experiences with Elizabeth Mackie by phone, 07794 097 719 (she can call back), by email elizabeth.mackie@healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk, or online www.healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk/maternity
We want to understand what worked well for you, and what didn’t work well.
The information you provide will help us to:
- gather user perspectives; and
- design the questions our volunteers ask when they visit the local maternity services.
There will also be some opportunities to join our volunteers during these visits.
How will my information make a difference?
A key task for East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust is to demonstrate how it has improved maternity services, against the concerns raised in the Care Quality Commission report. This is being managed through their Quality Improvement Plan.
The information you provide to Healthwatch East Sussex will be collated with the information our volunteers gather, and will be turned into a user experience report.
Healthwatch East Sussex will share this report with the organisations involved with scrutinising the Trust’s Quality Improvement Plan. Where appropriate, Healthwatch East Sussex will also submit recommendations for the improvement of services for women and their families.
Julie Fitzgerald, Director for Healthwatch East Sussex, said, “this is a fantastic opportunity for not only Healthwatch East Sussex, but for the Trust to encourage women and their families to feedback their views and experiences. The Trust senior managers are being very supportive of the work Healthwatch East Sussex has planned, and we welcome their commitment to increasing greater patient engagement.”
“It takes a minute to feedback, but the difference can last a lifetime”.
Background
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated maternity services provided by East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust as inadequate, in its report published in September 2015. It should also be noted that it received a rating of good, for maternity services being caring.
