THE Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RD and E) has come top in a national survey of new mums on their experiences of maternity services.?Local mums rated maternity services at the RD and E highly in the 2020 New Mothers’ Experiences of Care Survey, a new survey carried out in response to the COVID pandemic.?The annual NHS Maternity Survey 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic.The Picker Institute, who usually facilitate the Care Quality Commission (CQC) maternity annual survey, developed the New Mothers’ Experiences of Care Survey to help Trusts reach out to mothers who would have been eligible for the NHS Maternity Survey, and gain valuable feedback on their experiences of maternity care.?A total of 12 NHS Trusts in England participated in the voluntary survey this year. 

Some 107 mothers who were cared for by RD and E midwives during February 2020 gave their feedback on maternity services provided by the Trust at Wonford Hospital, Tiverton, Okehampton and Honiton.?The response rate was 36 per cent for the RD and E which is six per cent above the Picker Average. ?The overall results for the RD and E maternity service were excellent with most categories being above or equal to the survey average.  The report uses “positive score” as its primary unit of measurement.The RD and E was the top scoring participating Trust for positive scores.?A total of 100 per cent of women said that they had enough time to ask questions during antenatal check-ups and the Trust also scored better than the national average with regard to women feeling supported around mental health.The results found that 99 per cent of women said that their partner was involved during labour and birth.?There was a 14 per cent improvement from 2019 in women reporting their discharge from hospital was without delay and a 26 per cent increase in the number of times partners were able to stay postnatally.?Jo Bassett, Deputy Head of Midwifery and Gynaecology at the RD and E said: “We are delighted to hear the views of the women who use our services and this feedback reflects the hard work and dedication of our teams to provide safe, high quality care. At this challenging time it is so important to receive feedback of this type.”

She adds: “Although this survey was conducted prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the resulting restrictions on our service, this survey creates an ideal opportunity for us to gain valuable feedback which we use to help us make improvements and ensure our service is receptive to the experiences of women and their families locally.”