Action plan agreed after maternity service inspection

The maternity service at NHS Orkney has been praised for “compassionate care,” while some improvements have also been called for.

These have been highlighted after an unannounced visit to The Balfour by Heathcare Improvement Scotland (HIS).

The inspection in March highlighted a number of strengths, like positive feedback from women and families.

Overall, the agency’s report describes twelve areas of good practice, with strong teamworking, supportive leadership and a positive culture all being praised.

There were also nine requirements — these are areas where “required standards” have not been met.

This includes how potentially harmful events are responded to. The report says that some staff did not report all incidents “mostly due to long delays before feedback is provided, or in some cases that they did not receive certain feedback.”

The inspectors continue: “Inconsistent incident reporting might have an impact on learning from adverse events thus reducing opportunities to understand what went wrong, why it happened and improve safety within the system.”

Making sure that timescales for these reviews are met is one of the requirements made by HIS.

Donna Maclean, chief inspector at Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said the team observed staff “compassionate, responsive and person-centred care” for women and their families.

They found good teamwork, with both the senior midwifery and obstetric leadership teams being “visible and respectful,” and staff feeling supported.

“During the inspection some areas of improvement were identified including the improved oversight and governance of the review of policies, guidelines and procedures,” Ms Maclean said.

“Further improvements are required to ensure timescales of adverse events are achieved.

“NHS Orkney must also ensure that clinical leaders have protected time to lead to fulfil their leadership roles.”

An improvement plan has been developed by NHS Orkney, to meet the requirements made in the report.

The priority for NHS Orkney is to build on the “strong foundations” identified in the report and make “sustainable improvements” to improve safety, governance and staff support.

This is the view of Sam Thomson, who is the health authority’s executive director of nursings, midwifery, AHP’s, and chief officer for acute services.

She added: “Progress will be closely monitored through our clinical governance structures and reported appropriately. I’d also like to thank all the patients and families who contributed to the inspection.

“Last, but not least, I must highlight the dedication and compassion the maternity team show to our patients and their families every single day.

“Their commitment remains central to us delivering safe, effective, and person-centred maternity care for our community.”