Mums praise maternity services at RD&E

Maternity services at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust received a good set of results in the latest national survey.

A questionnaire was sent by the Care Quality Commission in the summer to all women who gave birth in February 2015.

Responses were received from 160 mothers who used the RD&E. Maternity services are provided by the Trust at Wonford Hospital, Okehampton, Tiverton and Honiton.

A score of 9.1, towards a maximum of 10, was given to questions about the mums’ labour and birth experiences. The RD&E staff were rated highly at 8.8, and care after birth at 7.9.

All the scores were in line with England averages, but RDE mums were particularly impressed with how they were involved in decisions about their care during labour and birth, and also how the RD&E involved their husbands and partners in the process.

The Trust’s Deputy Chief Nurse/ Midwife Tracey Reeves said: “Thank you to everyone who filled in the survey.

“Throughout the year we get a lot of positive comments about the Maternity Unit and so it’s very pleasing to see those feelings replicated in an official survey.

“All the Maternity staff are terrifically dedicated to the parents and their babies so we will continue to keep up the good work.”

The RD&E’s mums were also some of the most willing to take part in the survey with 56% of the 287 women giving birth in February returning the survey. They gave birth to 293 babies.

The national response rate was 41%. To see the RDE results in more detail please visit the CQC website, or the unit’s Facebook page.