Neonatal unit rated 'good' despite concerns

Neonatal services at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital have been rated "good" by inspectors, despite years of concerns about maternity care at the same trust.

The Care Quality Commission inspected the unit in January, the first time it assessed neonatal care independently of maternity services, rating it "good" in all five categories.

It follows an inspection in October that also rated the John Radcliffe's maternity services "good" overall, though inspectors found four regulatory breaches.

The overall rating for the John Radcliffe Hospital, and the trust as a whole, remains "requires improvement".

Inspectors praised a "family-centred approach" that routinely involved parents in ward rounds and decisions about their babies' care.

Interim chief executive Simon Crowther thanked neonatal staff for what he called a "significant achievement".

Inspectors also highlighted improvements in the unit's culture, noting a shift away from a "blame culture" towards one focused on learning, and praised regular training simulations that helped staff respond confidently to complex situations.

The ratings come after years in which bereaved and harmed families, along with campaign groups including Families Failed by OUH Maternity Services, have raised concerns about care at the trust.

A national review led by Baroness Valerie Amos, which spoke to 450 families across 12 hospital trusts, found a "degree of arrogance" among OUH leaders.

It said mothers had reported "dirty corridors, toilets covered in blood... a lack of privacy, a lack of dignity".

Separately, a BBC investigation earlier this year found 58 babies might have survived with better care at the trust between 2019 and 2024.

Baroness Amos separately told a Health and Social Care Committee evidence session the John Radcliffe's maternity unit was possibly "the worst" building she had seen during her national investigation.

Local MP Layla Moran, who chairs the Commons Health Committee, has called on the government to fund a new £120m maternity unit at the hospital, describing the current building, which opened in 1972, as "no longer fit for purpose".