This in from the CQC in their own words, Ed
Mothers who had a baby earlier this year are to be invited to take part in a major survey of maternity services in England.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is inviting 60,000 new mums to give their views on a wide range of issues, including whether they were given the pain relief they wanted, if they were left alone at a time when it worried them and whether they were offered a choice of where to have their baby.
Views on cleanliness
Questions will also probe women’s experiences on the cleanliness of wards and toilets, whether they were treated with respect and dignity, whether they had confidence in staff and if call bells were left unanswered.
The results will be published later this year and will show what NHS maternity care is like for women in England, identifying what is working well and what needs to improve.
Supporting improvement
The survey was designed with the help of new mums who gave their views on the experiences that were important to them.
CQC national clinical advisor Rona McCandlish said:
“Learning about women’s experiences of maternity services plays a critical part in the way we regulate and support improvement.
“The more women who take part in the survey the richer the information will be. What they tell us about their experiences will help us identify further where poor care is being provided and help improve services for future mums.
“It is also important that women recognise the survey is anonymous and carried out independently.”
Take part
For more information, local helpline numbers can be found in the individual survey packs.
The NHS surveys Webpage can also be found at http://www.nhssurveys.org/questionnaire.
Image: harinaivoteza under CC BY 2.0
