Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust rated 'good' by CQC

This follows an inspection in August 2023, after which the CQC published its latest reports on the maternity services offered at University Hospital Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich.

The two sites maintained good ratings overall, with University Hospital Lewisham improving to an outstanding rating in the leadership area.

Specifically, the leadership, handling of health inequalities and listening to women and birthing people were highly praised throughout the report.

LGT’s Chief Executive Ben Travis, said: "Over the last five years, we have been on an active journey of service user-led improvement within our maternity teams, so I am very pleased that we have maintained our overall good rating with well-led improving to outstanding."

He added: "This is a huge testament to the hard work and dedication of our teams, who are committed to listening to and learning from our women and birthing people – a big congratulations and thank you to you all."

Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC’s deputy director of secondary and specialist healthcare, praised the maternity services at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and their commitment to providing quality care.

She said: "When we inspected the maternity services at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, we saw a service that provided good care to women, people using the service, and their babies.

"Leaders had created an open culture where people could raise concerns without fear and be listened to."

UHL received an 'outstanding' rating for its maternity services leadership (Image: Google Maps)

The CQC also noted that the trust has been highly responsive to health inequalities, particularly concerning deprivation, language barriers and cultural awareness.

Collaborations with local non-profit organisation, Five X More, have been instrumental in supporting and empowering Black and Brown pregnant people.

The watchdog also applauded the Trust’s transparency and its eager response to learning from any incidents.

This culture of continuous learning and improvement, was particularly highlighted.

Shirley Peterson, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust’s Director of Midwifery, said: "Caring for women and birthing people during their maternity experience is a very special privilege and we work hard to try and get this right for those using our maternity services at LGT. 

"It matters to us that our women and birthing people feel respected and listened to and we are thrilled that this has been noticed by the CQC, especially in such a challenging year for maternity services."

Ms Peterson added: "I am very proud of the team today – as always – and I know that we are committed to work together to continue to drive and improve our services for our women and birthing people."