Updated
6 February 2025
Broomfield Hospital is operated by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital provides local elective and emergency services to people living in and around the districts of Chelmsford, Maldon and Braintree. Broomfield Hospital site based in Chelmsford is home to the internationally renowned St Andrew's burns and plastics centre, which provides a supra-regional burns service to a population of 9.8 million people. Broomfield Hospital is registered for; treatment of disease, disorder or injury, termination of pregnancies, surgical procedure, maternity and midwifery services, management of supply of blood and blood derived products, family planning, diagnostic and screening procedures, assessment, or medical treatment for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. Maternity services at Broomfield hospital were reassessed on the 24th and 26th of July 2024. Following our assessment the maternity services rating overall had increased to requires improvement due some improvements made following enforcement action. However, Broomfield maternity services remain under conditions following this assessment and the service will continue to be monitored closely to ensure that improvements are being embedded. Medical care (including older people care) was last assessed in July 2023 and was rated Requires Improvement overall. During this focused inspection, not all breaches identified at the last inspection were reassessed to include all potential improvements. Surgery was last assessed in December 2021 and was rated Requires Improvement overall.
Updated
5 January 2025
Broomfield Hospital maternity unit provides both consultant-led and midwife-led maternity services as part of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation trust. The obstetric unit at Broomfield Hospital is a purpose-built unit located on the 4th floor of the hospital. The unit comprises of a Day Assessment Unit (DAU), a consultant-led labour ward, a midwife-led low risk birthing unit and a post-natal ward which includes a 4 bedded bay used for the transitional care of babies. Outpatient services include antenatal clinics and an ultrasound department. There is no separate antenatal ward; patients who are seen and/or admitted during the antenatal period are accommodated on the DAU. The consultant-led (high risk) labour ward comprises a 11 bedded delivery suite, 1 berevement room, 2 operating theatres, a 4 bedded recovery area where women are cared for following surgical procedures relating to childbirth, and bereavement suite. Postnatal care is provided on a 20 bedded ward with 8 individual rooms and 3, 4 bedded bays, one of which is used to provide transitional care to babies requiring additional support but not requiring neonatal unit admission. We had carried out an assessment in March 2024 where the service was rated inadequate overall and were placed under conditions of service under Section 31 of the Health and Social Care Act to ensure the trust took immediate action to keep women, birthing people, and babies safe. This follow up assessment took place on 24th and 25th of July 2024 and was focused on the key questions of Safe, Caring, and Well-led. Whilst improvements have been demonstrated they need to be embedded and sustained. Therefore, the conditions remain in place for Broomfield Hospital maternity services.
Medical care (including older people’s care)
Updated
27 October 2023