Is it safe for me to have my baby at Leeds Teaching Hospitals?
We want to reassure every family due to have their baby with us in Leeds and any new parents that we are absolutely committed to providing safe, compassionate care.
We deliver more than 8,500 babies each year and the vast majority of those are safe and positive experiences for our families. But we recognise that’s not the experience of all families. The loss of any baby is a tragedy, and we offer our deepest condolences to families who have lost their babies when receiving care in our hospitals.
Our priority now is on making the improvements needed to ensure that every family receives safe, compassionate, inclusive, and high quality care.
Do you have enough midwives in your hospitals?
We have recruited 55 midwives since autumn 2024 after additional funding was agreed by the Board last year. A further 35 newly qualified midwives are starting work with us this autumn. We have also appointed additional midwifery leadership roles to support our clinical teams to deliver safe high-quality care to all our families.
Will you listen to me if I have a concern or complaint?
Yes, we are actively listening – your voice really matters to us. We always take complaints and concerns raised by our birthing people and families and staff very seriously. We are always looking for ways we can improve.
If you are a family with concerns about your current care, please ask to speak to your midwife, or the Matron, Team Leader or Ward Manager for the area you are currently in, or where you are receiving care. If you wish to raise concerns about your care and share any feedback with us, you can also do this by emailing [email protected]
We work together with Leeds Maternity & Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) to make improvements using feedback from the experiences of our patients. MNVP parent representatives regularly visit our wards and departments to gain feedback from families directly. Anyone wishing to get involved in the work of the MNVP can contact: [email protected] or join their Facebook group.
We are reviewing our complaints process to ensure we are listening and understanding our patients’ experiences, and working with them to identify ways to improve their care.
Can I change the hospital that I want to give birth in?
Moving your care to another hospital is entirely your choice, and we can support you if you wish to explore other options. You can ask to change the Trust or hospital at any point in your pregnancy and you have the option to choose a hospital or birth centre that is further away from where you live. Before you ask to transfer your care, you need to check that your chosen hospital, birth centre or home birth team can take over your care. Once you have done this, please contact your midwife at Leeds Teaching Hospitals so that they can provide you with information about sharing your notes with your new hospital.
How do I request my maternity notes?
If you would like to access your maternity health records or birth notes after you have had your baby, please complete an application form on our website and provide a copy of identification by email to: [email protected]. The link to the application form is here: Application form to access maternity health records or birth notes
What is an independent inquiry?
The Government has announced there will be an independent inquiry into maternity and neonatal services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which will include looking at individual historic cases.
Decisions regarding the chair, scope, criteria and terms of reference have yet to be taken, but the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has said he would like this inquiry to get underway as soon as possible.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to working openly, honestly and transparently with the inquiry team and with families who have used our services.
We will keep you updated on this inquiry when further details are available.
What is a CQC report?
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. It monitors and inspects services to see whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
The CQC asks the following ‘key questions’ of each service:
- Is it safe? Are you protected from abuse and avoidable harm?
- Is it effective? Does your care, treatment and support achieve good results and help you maintain your quality of life, and is it based on the best available evidence?
- Is it caring? Do staff involve you and treat you with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect?
- Is it responsive? Are services organised so that they can meet your needs?
- Is it well-led? Does the leadership of the organisation make sure that it’s providing high-quality care that’s based around your needs? And does it encourage learning and innovation and promote an open and fair culture?
After each inspection, the CQC produces a report and publishes it on its website. The reports set out findings on each of the five key questions and include the following ratings:
- Outstanding
- Good
- Requires improvement
- Inadequate
You can find out more about the CQC here: Care Quality Commission