Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry is one of three finalists in the running for a highly prestigious national award for excellence in maternity care.
Celebrating the Western Trust reaching the final of the CHKS awards final.
Healthcare intelligence expert CHKS has judged the quality of care provided by the Western Trust Health’s Maternity Service based at both Altnagelvin Hospital and the South West Acute Hospital puts the service in the top three out of 148 National Health Service (NHS) maternity providers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The accolade is presented as part of CHKS’s annual Top Hospitals programme awards.
The other two finalists are the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust and Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The final three were chosen after an initial shortlist of 15 trusts was drawn up following an analysis of nine clinical indicators including caesarean rates, length of stay, complications, readmissions and injuries, as well as three indicators from the Care Quality Commission’s 2013 maternity survey (for English trusts).
The 15 trusts, representing the top 10 per cent of the 148 NHS maternity providers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, were then invited to submit further evidence about their maternity services.
Jason Harries, managing director, CHKS said: “These three hospital trusts should be proud they have reached the final three for our excellence in maternity care award because it is a genuine reflection of the quality of the maternity services that they provide. We will announce the winner at our awards ceremony in London in May.”
A panel of maternity and healthcare quality experts will now visit each of the three before a winner is announced at the CHKS Top Hospitals awards ceremony in London in May.
The judging panel includes Judy Ledger, chief executive and founder of Baby Lifeline, a national charity supporting the care of pregnant women, and new born babies and Jeanne Lythgoe from the Directorate of Midwifery, Counselling and Psychotherapy at the University of Salford. 
