7. Administrative and reporting burden
One of the primary concerns raised by trusts was the volume of administrative and reporting obligations, which have placed additional strain on already overworked staff and detracted from providing high-quality, patient-centred care. These include a wide range of documentation, data entry, and compliance checks. The resource required to keep up with reporting has diverted efforts away from strategic planning on how best services can make improvements.
While maternity leaders recognised the vital role of regulation and oversight, they raised concerns around excessive duplication and sometimes contradiction in the information they were being asked to provide. Some trusts felt the policies and processes set by regulators did not match the operational reality being experienced at the frontline, sometimes creating hurdles to care delivery rather than enablers of good care.
All reports have different actions coming out, there are pages and pages of actions… We don’t need any more reports, we need time and resource to implement the existing recommendations.
Deputy chief executive, acute trust
Assurance is really important, but feels relentless at the moment.
Director of midwifery, acute trust
[The LMNS equity plan] is unworkable and so big… We lose sight of what can be done now, what are the quick wins?
Head of midwifery, acute trust
Some trusts called for a re-evaluation of the reporting processes, advocating for a more streamlined and efficient approach, and a focused set of fewer overall recommendations for improvement. This is with the intention of reducing unnecessary bureaucracy and allowing leaders and staff to focus on improving care and addressing inequalities.
Call to action: Streamline maternity reporting requirements, and support their appropriate resourcing, to ensure workforce skills are put to best use and better enable meaningful action to reduce inequalities and improve quality of care.