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07
Jan
Inspectors upgrade Harrogate hospital maternity services rating to 'good'
Health inspectors have upgraded the rating for Harrogate District Hospital’s maternity services to “good”.
The Care Quality Commission, which inspects hospitals and health services, published its verdict in a report today (January 7) after an inspection in July 2025.
The CQC carried out the inspection after it rated the service as “requires improvement” in March 2023.
Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said he was “delighted” with the rating.
In its latest report, CQC inspectors said improvements had been made at the service since previous visits, but some breaches in regulations were found regarding safe care and treatment.
The report found that the trust had “ensured that staffing levels were consistently met” and there were specialist midwives to provide good support across the service.
It added that the trust had also recruited additional senior midwives to strengthen leadership on the delivery suite.
However, inspectors said they were concerned that the hospital did not always “have a good overview” about how long women had been waiting in the maternity assessment centre.
Charlotte Rudge, CQC deputy director of hospitals in the north, said:
When we inspected Harrogate District Hospital’s maternity services, we found improvements had been made since our last visit. Leaders and staff had worked hard to create a positive culture where safety and learning were prioritised, and where women and people using the service felt able to speak up.
For example, safety incidents were investigated thoroughly, and lessons were learnt and shared with staff to help prevent them from happening again. Also, robust safeguarding arrangements were in place with partner organisations to keep women safe.
We also heard that women using the service felt listened to, and staff treated them with respect and kindness. One person told us they couldn’t praise their midwives enough and they felt very peaceful at home due to the support which was available to them.
However, we found some areas where improvements are still needed. We were concerned that the service didn't always have a good overview of how long women had been waiting in the maternity assessment centre. This meant some people faced delays in being reviewed by doctors, which could put them at risk of harm.
In response to the report, Mr Coulter said the upgrade in the rating was a reflection of the hard work of maternity staff.
He said:
I am delighted that our maternity service has achieved a good overall rating.
The report recognises the many strengths within our maternity service and the outcome reflects the strong learning culture across HDFT. The way we develop skills, share knowledge, challenge ourselves and make continuous improvements for the benefit of patients is invaluable.
Our maternity team works incredibly hard to provide safe, professional care for those who access these services and I am pleased that this has been recognised by the CQC in their report.
We know that there are things we can do better, and the report helpfully identifies some areas for improvement. These are welcome as it will help us to strengthen our service further, ensure we continue to deliver safe, effective and compassionate care, and provide the best possible experience for families across our region.
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