Press Release

24 January 2008

Maternity Service in Mid Essex is One of the Best

Mid Essex hospitals has been rated as one of the best performing Trust’s in the country for maternity services in a comprehensive assessment carried out by the health watchdog - the Healthcare Commission.

Alison Cuthbertson, head of midwifery at mid Essex hospitals, said:” I am delighted that our maternity service has come out so well in this review.  We are one of only 48 Trusts in the country to receive the top rating of “best performing” which is a great achievement and is due to the hard work of all our maternity staff.  We are very proud of the maternity service we offer at our midwife led birthing units in Braintree and Maldon and our consultant led centre at St John’s in Chelmsford.  Even though we have scored well in this review we are constantly striving to improve the service further.  We want to explore ways to ensure we can provide continuity of care for all mother throughout their birthing experience.

"We are looking forward to moving the maternity services at St John's to the new hospital at Broomfield in 2010 where we can provide care in brand new, modern facilities."

The review, carried out in the summer 2007, assessed 148 trusts providing a full maternity service in England.   It covered 25 different factors - including staffing levels, numbers of midwives and consultants, the mothers' own views about the state of delivery suites and standards of care, and the welfare of mothers and babies.  The review covered the period from when a woman first contacts a maternity service to her final contact with a midwife, usually around 10 days after a birth .

ENDS

Media contact : Jo Triggs tel: (01245) 514235 | Mobile : 0790 005 4948