Review of Jersey's maternity services launched

8th February 2021

​An in-depth review of the Island’s maternity services has been launched today by the Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel. Their aim is to identify whether any areas of the current provision could be improved to better meet the needs of women, their partners and their babies.

The Panel will be writing to various stakeholders to gather evidence that will assist its review, as well as inviting submissions from members of the public. Their review will explore:   

• The appropriateness and adequacy of the current maternity facilities in the General Hospital and the planned upgrade 
• The availability and suitability of antenatal (including pregnancy loss) and perinatal mental health care
• The safety and effectiveness of care delivered during antennal (before birth), intrapartum (labour) and postnatal (after birth) stages of pregnancy  
• Whether women are able to make safe and appropriate choices about the maternity care that’s right for them and their babies  
• How maternity services can be improved to meet the needs of families  
• The impact of Covid-19 on the provision of maternity services 

In 2015, concerns were raised by the previous Minister for Health and Social Services and the Hospital Director regarding the condition of the maternity unit in the General Hospital and it was accepted that major investment was needed to bring it up to an acceptable standard. In September 2020, the Health and Community Services Department lodged a planning application to upgrade the maternity unit, partly in response to Covid-19. The Panel is also keen to understand what the upgrade work will entail and the intended benefits of these changes to parents and staff.  

Mary Le Hegarat, Chair of the Panel said: “Maternity services are extremely important to Islanders and we want to ensure that everyone receives the best possible care at one of the most important and memorable times of their lives. Similar reviews of maternity services and quality of care in the UK have led to nationwide recommendations which aim to ensure that care is delivered safely and appropriately and that staff receive the support they need. We want to hear from Islanders and health care professionals about their experiences so we can work together to make any necessary improvements to our maternity provision.” 

Islanders are encouraged to share their views with the Panel by: 

1. Completing the ‘Get involved’ form on the States Assembly website 

2. Emailing scrutiny@gov.je 
   

3. Messaging the States Assembly social media pages
   

Whilst the Panel conduct its review of maternity services it will also continue to hold the Government to account for its response to the pandemic and the implementation of the Jersey Care Model. 

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