Maternity services at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle "require improvement" according to health regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which has highlighted out-of-date equipment and gaps in staff training as areas for concern.
The CQC carried out an unannounced inspection in January this year, and inspectors have now raised concerns about what they found. Issues also include, according to the report, that staff felt undervalued and reported "dissatisfaction that they had not been involved in changes to working practices".
However, the report also contained praise for the way the leaders managed the service and also said staff "well together for the benefit of women and people using the service and understood how to protect them from abuse". In response, hospital leaders said they had taken "immediate action" in the three key areas highlighted by the CQC - though also said they did not feel the rating was "a fair reflection".
