BRADFORD Royal Infirmary (BRI) has been praised for its maternity services in a national survey carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

During the summer of 2019, a questionnaire was sent to all women who gave birth in February of that year, asking them to answer questions about their maternity care and treatment.

Based on their responses, the CQC then gave each NHS trust a score out of 10 for each question (the higher the score the better). Patients were asked a total of 19 questions, which were divided into three categories – Labour and Birth, Staff during Labour and Birth and Care in Hospital after the Birth.

BRI scored 8 out of 10 and above in all three categories with the highest score being 8.9 out of 10. The highest scores for the responses to individual questions included 9.8/10 for partners being encouraged to be involved as much as they wanted, 9.7/10 for clear communication during labour and birth and 9.5/10 for being treated with respect and dignity during labour and birth.

Sally Scales, Deputy Chief Nurse at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I’m delighted that the hard work and dedication of our maternity teams has shone through and been recognised in these fantastic results.

“We have one of the busiest maternity units in the country (in 2019, a grand total of 5,463 babies were delivered at BRI) and our staff go above and beyond to support our mums and partners when they are bringing new life into this world.

“We always welcome feedback from patients as it’s vital for making improvements in the quality of care we offer in Bradford and the survey is an excellent way for us to look in-depth at the experience of mums and their families who choose our Maternity Unit for their care.”