HAMPSHIRE Hospitals has been praised in a survey of new mothers.

The 2018 Materity Survey, part of the patient survey programme co-ordinated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), asked new mums to answer questions about different aspects of their care and treatment.

The report from the CQC shows how Hampshire Hospitals scored for each question in the survey compared with the range of results from 128 other NHS Trusts in England.

For each question, responses are converted into scores on a scale of zero to 10, with higher scores indicating more positive responses.

Hampshire Hospitals scored 9.7 out of 10 when women were asked to consider if they were spoken to in a way they could understand during their antenatal care, and scored 9.5 for the same question during their labour and birth.

The trust scored higher than most trusts relating to the care staff provided to expectant mums, scoring 9.3 out of 10 when mums were asked if they were given enough time during antenatal appointments to ask questions or discuss the pregnancy.

The same score was given when the women were asked if during their antenatal appointments, they were involved enough in decisions about their own care.

When new mums were asked if the staff involved in their care introduced themselves, the trust scored 9.6 performing better than other trusts in the country.

The trust scored 9.6 out of 10 in the survey when new mums were asked if they were treated with respect and dignity during labour and birth while Hampshire Hospitals also scored 9.8 out of 10 when mums were asked if their birthing partners were involved as much as they wanted them to be.

Janice Mackenzie, divisional chief nurse for maternity at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I’m delighted to hear some of the wonderful ways our maternity staff are caring for our patients. Communication is incredibly important in making sure the women we care for are informed and have the best possible experience.

“It’s fantastic to know that the dedication and compassion shown by the staff in our maternity team across our three hospitals is making a real difference to women and their families.

“We are always striving to improve and will use the survey results alongside other feedback to look at how we can make things even better for new mums.”