Hampshire Hospitals - including Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital - formally exited Maternity Safety Support Programme
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) has formally exited the Maternity Safety Support Programme (MSSP).
The news comes after significant improvements were made to maternity services across the trust.
The National Quality Performance Committee at NHS England, as well as the Maternity Improvement Advisor and Regional Chief Midwife confirmed that the criteria for leaving the programme had been met in December 2023.
The trust then received formal notification of its exit in April 2024, but has only just been able to make the announcement.
Julie Dawes, chief nurse for Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Safe and high-quality maternity care is of the upmost importance for all of us at Hampshire Hospitals. We are pleased that the improvements made to our services whilst within the Maternity Safety Support Programme have been recognised by the National Quality Performance Committee, the Maternity Improvement Advisor and the Regional Chief Midwife.
“We are proud of our recruitment programme for midwifery with our maternity units safely staffed, and a full suite of policies and procedures in place, governing the management of equipment, communication, and training. We have fully resolved the items noted by the CQC when they visited in 2021.
“We look forward to welcoming back the CQC who will provide an impartial review of the work that has been carried out by our hardworking and committed staff.”
Hampshire Hospitals runs services at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, Andover War Memorial Hospital, and in the community.
The trust was enrolled in the support programme after a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection of its maternity services in 2021.
It meant it received additional support to deliver the improvements required to its maternity services.
A recent 2024 CQC survey of maternity service users showed year-on-year improvements and the trust achieved all ten of the core safety actions in the NHS Maternity Incentive Scheme (MIS).
