The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has today published results of its national maternity survey, with Newcastle Hospitals rated above national targets in almost all areas.
Rising in national position to 21st place overall, the trust has secured a place in the top 20% of maternity service providers across England.
The survey took place in February 2025, with 127 women who accessed maternity care at the Royal Victoria Infirmary taking part. The survey covers all aspects of maternity services: antenatal care, care during labour and birth, and postnatal. We were one of 119 acute NHS trusts that took part.
Overall, our survey results are very positive, showing particularly strong results in how our staff communicate with patients, including an increase in women being offered choice on where to have their baby, feeling involved in care decisions, and being able to ask questions following birth.
Benchmarked against other trusts, our results show:
- We perform ‘better than expected’ in areas including how pain was managed and patients’ concerns being taken seriously during labour and birth; staff being attentive both during labour and birth, and postnatally; staff working well together to provide care, and patient confidence in staff during labour and birth.
- We perform ‘somewhat better than expected’ in areas including treating patients with respect and dignity, and speaking to patients in a way they can understand.
Jenna Wall, director of midwifery at Newcastle Hospitals, said:
“We’re very pleased with the maternity survey results. I’m particularly pleased to see that women consistently feel listened to, and spoken to in a way they can understand, during both pregnancy and labour.
“Seeing the hard work of the whole team acknowledged by the people who really matter is really positive.”
“However, we’re never complacent and continual improvement remains a priority; we will keep striving to provide even better care, to give every woman, baby, and family the personalised and caring experience they deserve.”
The full results for England are available on the Care Quality Commission’s website.
