Published on: 16 December 2025

New parents have hailed maternity services in South Tyneside and Sunderland as some of the best in the NHS, according to the 2025 Care Quality Commission (CQC) Maternity Survey.

Families rated the care they received in hospital after the birth of their baby higher at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT) than any other Trust across the whole of the North East and Yorkshire region at 8.4 out of 10.  Postnatal care at STSFT was also rated the best in the region at 9.0 out of 10.

The national CQC survey measures how satisfied people are with their maternity care. It looks at people’s experiences of services as they prepared for the arrival of their baby, the delivery and what support they were given following the birth.

The results for STSFT show continued improvement for local maternity services, building on last year’s excellent results. The latest feedback from patients and families shows STSFT is achieving better than expected results compared to the rest of the NHS in England. 

One of the biggest areas of improvement is around the support offered from midwives to parents when feeding their baby. The results show families rated their experience in South Tyneside and Sunderland as ‘much better’ than most other Trusts in two key areas: 

 

 

STSFT score

National average

Decisions about how to feed a baby were respected by midwives

9.8 out of 10

(2024 score 9.1)

9

Advice on feeding being available at evenings, nights or weekends

8.6 out of 10

(2024 score 6.5)

6.3

 

Local maternity teams also scored ‘better’ than most other Trusts in eight other areas covering all parts of the maternity care pathway. This included getting enough support for mental health during pregnancy, the care received in hospital after birth and many aspects of postnatal care: Local maternity teams also scored ‘better’ than most other Trusts in eight other areas covering all parts of the maternity care pathway. This included getting enough support for mental health during pregnancy, the care received in hospital after birth and many aspects of postnatal care:

Better than most other Trusts for:

STSFT score

National average

Antenatal care

Midwives and doctors being aware of medical histories

8.1 out of 10

7.1

Getting enough support for mental health

9.6 out of 10

9.0

Care in hospital

A partner or loved one was involved as much as they wanted

9.9 out of 10

9.5

Pain management after the birth

8.8 out of 10

7.8

Postnatal care

Getting help from a midwife when needed

9.1 out of 10

8.6

Getting information about physical recovery after birth

8.0 out of 10

6.9

Getting help and advice from midwives about feeding in the four weeks after birth

8.2 out of 10

7.1

Getting help and advice from midwives about baby’s progress in the four weeks after birth

8.5 out of 10

7.9

 

Jane Anderson, Director of Midwifery at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust said:

"We are delighted and reassured that such positive feedback has been given by families who have used our maternity services this year.

"To see such strong results, with some of the best scores across the whole NHS, is testament to our teams and recognition of the care we offer. Our community midwives and hospital teams work very hard to support families and make sure they have a good experience at such a special and important time.

"Colleagues working in all areas of maternity have worked incredibly hard over recent years to improve our service offer and we are very grateful for their support and dedication.  We now want to keep improving further with the aim of being excellent in all areas of our care. This feedback is key in helping us to do that."

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust has invested over £6 million over the past two years to upgrade its maternity facilities. The full refurbishment of all 30 delivery suite rooms at Sunderland Royal Hospital will complete in Spring next year.

The 2025 maternity survey involved 119 NHS Trusts in England. To see the full results visit: Maternity survey 2025

 

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