WHIPPS CROSS: Maternity services among best in capital

2:50pm Friday 25th January 2008

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MATERNITY services at Whipps Cross University Hospital are among the best in London but general standards in the capital are cause for concern, according to a health watchdog.

The Healthcare Commission says the Leytonstone-based trust is one of only eight hospitals in London giving an adequate level of care, with the rest found to be providing a poor service.

Despite some positive feedback, the commission reports that the Whipps Cross is failing to perform to an acceptable level in eight of the 25 aspects of service assessed.

Problem areas include post natal care, choice and continuity of antenatal care, the homeliness of delivery rooms and average cost of delivery.

Also nearly a third of patients said they were not allowed to move around the delivery room, or choose the position which made them feel comfortable.

The hospital was praised for its antenatal service and rated highly for its appropriate use of Caesarean sections, the low number of baby deaths and support for infant feeding. It's engagement with the community also scored well.

In what is described as the most wide-ranging review of national maternity services, standards at London hospitals were found to be lagging behind the rest of the country.

Nearby hospitals such as Homerton, Bart's and London, and Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospital's Trust are all performing below minimum standards.

Mairead Wren, director of widwifery at Whipps Cross, said: "Overall we are very pleased with our performance. However, we recognise that we still have work to do to improve our service to women."

Health secretary Alan Johnson has announced extra money for maternity services in the wake of the commission's findings. The funding will increase over the next three years to reach £122 million annually.