TROWBRIDGE Birthing Centre has delivered first class results following an independent inspection carried out by the Care Quality Commission.

Staff at the centre, based at Trowbridge Community Hospital, were thrilled when they found out they had met the essential standards for staffing, cleanliness, infection control and care and welfare of patients.

The report, released on Wednesday by the CQC, said the maternity units in Bath and at the Great Western Hospital, Swindon, did not meet the required standards in all categories.

Trowbridge Birthing Centre matron Beryl Orchard said: “The report speaks for itself, we couldn’t get higher marks and I think that makes us one of the flagship birthing centres in the United Kingdom.

“I’d like to highlight that the inspection was an unannounced visit, leaving no time to prepare for it, so that gives us even more credibility as the inspectors found excellent results from our everyday normal standards.”

The Trowbridge unit, which has 30 staff, provides antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care as well as out-patient support.

Mrs Orchard said: “The inspectors interviewed some of our patients who said they couldn’t fault the care they were given or sing the praises of the staff highly enough, which makes me very proud.

“We are all delighted, and I think this is something to be extremely proud of.

“I would like to thank all our midwives, maternity care assistants, security and domestic staff for all their hard work every day.”

The Trowbridge unit’s report, from an inspection which took place on December 13, also praised the continuity of staff wherever possible with patients.

Midwife Sue Noble said: “We are all delighted, it is great to get some official feedback and meet the national standards.

“We are always a little scared when people do unannounced visits, but it is great to see we did so well.”

During the 2011/12 financial year, Trowbridge Birthing Centre delivered 352 babies and provided a home birth service.

The unit is run by Great Western Hospital, as are the ailing maternity services at the Princess Anne Wing in Bath and GWH in Swindon.

Hilary Walker, chief nurse at GWH, said: “Improving staffing has been identified as a priority at the Great Western Hospital and at the Princess Anne Wing, as it is for many other maternity services across the country.

“We have already started planning to increase the number of qualified, skilled and experienced midwives supporting these services.”

She also said £400,000 in investment has been received from the Department of Health to refurbish the Princess Anne Wing, where some west Wiltshire mums go to deliver their babies, which could make cleaning and infection control measures more effective.

CQC regulates, inspects and reviews all adult social care services in the public, private and voluntary sectors in England.

To view the reports for the three maternity units, visit www.cqc.org.uk