This week the Care Quality Commission (CQC) released its annual assessment of the state of health and social care in England. This report looks at the quality of care over the past year and draws on inspection activity, findings from CQC’s national NHS patient survey programme and statutory reports, bespoke research into people’s experiences, insight from key stakeholders and evidence collected by the regulator throughout the year.
The report finds that timely access to good care continues to be an issue. It highlights that issues accessing services are often exacerbated by deprivation – with attendance rates for urgent and emergency care for people living in the most deprived areas of England nearly double those for people in the least deprived areas. This also applies to maternity services.
The assessment also highlights that amid a rise in the demand for abortion services, the CQC is concerned that not enough women can access termination of pregnancy services close to where they live, at a time when they need them.
Responding to the report, RCOG President Ranee Thakar said:
“Sadly the findings of the CQC’s report are not surprising. For too long women and girls have been let down by the state of our healthcare system, with access to good care too hard to come by – and those working in the system are distressed by the lack of resources available to deliver care to the standard they would like.
“The stark statistics in O&G reinforce the CQC’s findings. Over three quarters of a million women across the UK are currently on a gynaecology waiting list, in a survey by the RCOG of women waiting across the UK a quarter reported needing to attend A&E or an emergency department as a result of their gynaecological symptoms. Our data also shows that wait times for women in deprived areas are the worst.”
“The report reinforces that there is also long way to go to make sure that everyone accessing maternity services in this country receives high quality, personalised and compassionate care, whatever their ethnicity, location, health profile or socioeconomic background. We urgently need to see the Government translating its voiced commitments on closing the maternal mortality gap into tangible and coordinated action, underpinned by funding, clear targets and direct collaboration with women in the affected groups.”
“The CQC’s reporting on access to abortion care is also concerning – it is vital that women and girls are able to access safe termination of pregnancy services locally and in a timely manner. For the long-term sustainability of abortion services to be maintained there must be greater collaboration between the NHS and the independent sector, and sustainable funding to make this happen.
“We desperately need a coordinated and collective effort from all parts of government to tackle the causes of inequalities in women’s health. The recent launch of the consultation on the future of the NHS is a good start, but a resulting cross-government strategy which is appropriately funded and considers the role of every government department is vital.”
- Read our response to the CQCs recent maternity report here: “Urgent, multi-pronged action is needed to tackle complex, deep-rooted issues.” RCOG response to CQC National Review of Maternity Services in England | RCOG