Scotland to introduce regular maternity inspections
Routine inspections of maternity services in Scotland will begin next year, it has been announced.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) said today that it would carry out regular, dedicated inspections of maternity units across NHS Scotland’s 14 regional health boards from January 2025.
“Our inspections of maternity units will provide assurance around the care women and babies can expect to receive”
Ann Gow
The move follows the HIS report into neonatal death rates in Scotland, published in February, which found a significant increase in neonatal mortality in 2021-22.
HIS said the report recommended a “review of maternity and neonatal care, to prevent as many baby deaths as possible”.
Until now, maternity units had only been looked at as part of wider hospital inspections undertaken by the HIS.
This new programme means that, for the first time, specific routine inspections of maternity units will take place across all health boards.
According to HIS, the new inspections will focus on how care for mothers and babies can be improved.
During the visits, which will last between one and three days, inspectors will look at care, speak to staff and senior managers, talk to mothers and families and review information about staffing levels, culture and leadership on the maternity units.
Maternity units will get no advanced warning of upcoming inspection visits and inspectors will raise issues with staff during their visit so they can be addressed immediately, HIS said.
It added that findings from each inspection would be made publicly available and that each NHS board would provide an improvement action plan which will be published alongside the inspection report.
Ann Gow, director of nursing and systems at HIS, said: “Our inspections of maternity units will provide assurance around the care women and babies can expect to receive.
“Expectant families will be able to read independent reports of the care they can expect to receive, at what can be a worrying time.
“Where improvements are needed, they can be assured the maternity unit has accepted the findings and has an improvement action plan.”
“I am cautiously optimistic that the inspections will support our members and help to shine a light on the challenges that they face”
Jaki Lambert
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has welcomed the announcement of routine maternity inspections in Scotland, while also reiterating its call for new maternity standards.
The RCM has, in recent years, been calling for a commitment to develop standards of maternity care across Scotland. While supported by the HIS, this work to develop specific standards has not yet begun.
Jaki Lambert, director of the RCM in Scotland, said: “We welcome Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s commitment to the development of standards for maternity care, and I am cautiously optimistic that the inspections will support our members and help to shine a light on the challenges that they face.
“We now await the development of clear standards which will support maternity services to provide assurances regarding the care they provide.”
She added: “We must also ensure that the inspections will not be used as a tool to undermine an already challenged and under-resourced workforce.”
