A NATIONAL maternity survey has found women who gave birth in hospitals across University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) last year felt they were involved in decisions regarding their care and were treated with dignity and respect by hospital staff.

The survey by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) includes responses from 101 women who gave birth in early 2018 at Furness General Hospital, Westmorland General Hospital or the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

The results showed 97 per cent of the women who responded felt involved in decisions about their care, 98 per cent said they were treated with dignity and respect and 99 per cent of the women had confidence and trust in hospital staff.

Key strengths outlined by the CQC included: women felt they were given a choice about where to have check-ups; they received support and advice about feeding their baby during evenings, nights or weekends; they were not left alone when worried; any concerns were taken seriously and their length of stay in hospital was about right.

The survey helps to identify what mothers think of maternity care services provided by the trust in the antenatal care, labour and birth, and postnatal care stages.

Carol Carlile, head of midwifery, gynaecology and obstetrics at UHMBT, said: "We are really pleased to see that women who recently used our maternity services felt supported and listened to by staff, and involved in decisions about their care. The results of the survey are a testament to the dedicated staff working across our hospitals to make sure that service users and their families are cared for to the highest possible standards.

“I’m so proud of the teams who have helped to achieve these results, and am looking forward to continuing to develop our services and improve and wherever we can."