Darent Valley Hospital Maternity

23/03/2026

🌼 Parent Education Update 🌼

We wanted to let you know that we have suspended our face‑to‑face Parent Education classes for the foreseeable future. We’re really sorry for any disappointment this may cause.

Our Online Parent Education course will continue as normal, and you can still book these sessions through Eventbrite via our Parent Education webpage. Parent Education Classes: https://maternity.dgt.nhs.uk/antenatal-care/parent-education/parent-education-classes

✨ Where to find resources
Please continue to use our Parent Education Padlet, where we’ve gathered the majority of our course materials, videos, and helpful links. The Padlet can be found on our Parent Education webpage.

✨ Multilingual antenatal education
For families who would like online antenatal education in English, Polish, Arabic, or Urdu, we also offer access to the Solihull Online Antenatal Course, which is free for Darent Valley service users. The link can be found on our Parent Education webpage.

Our webpage has been updated to reflect these changes, but if you have any questions or need support, please feel free to get in touch with us through the Parent Education email address listed on our webpage.

Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to supporting you through our virtual sessions. 💛

- The Darent Valley Parent Education Team

We are very sorry to share that our face‑to‑face parent education class, which is offered as an optional add‑on to our virtual course, is currently suspended. Due to unforeseen resourcing challenges, there are no plans to reschedule these in‑person sessions at this time.

20/03/2026

We are currently recruiting for a Band 6 Midwife - Antenatal & Screening. The successful applicant will join our team of specialist midwives to ensure that the National Antenatal and Newborn Screening Programmes are delivered safely and efficiently within DGT services.

More information: https://www.dgt.nhs.uk/jobs #!/job/UK/Kent/Dartford/Dartford_Gravesham_NHS_Trust/Midwife/Midwife-v7824294?_ts=143856

13/03/2026

We are currently recruiting into our Midwifery Antenatal and Newborn Screening Team!
We are looking for a motivated, enthusiastic and compassionate Midwife to join our fabulous DGT working family.
CURRENT VACANCY:
Band 6 Midwife - Antenatal & Newborn Screening
CLOSING DATE 26/03/2026 @ 16:00
https://www.dgt.nhs.uk/jobs #!/job/UK/Kent/Dartford/Dartford_Gravesham_NHS_Trust/Midwife/Midwife-v7824294?_ts=143856
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1HYKMjJUi1/

10/03/2026

We are delighted to share that Walnut ward have been awarded GOLD in our Ward Accreditation Programme.

The assessment highlighted the outstanding care, professionalism and compassion, resulting in an 87% score!

This is a fantastic achievement and reflects the dedication, compassion and hard work shown every day by the whole team.

Thank you for everything you do to provide safe, high‑quality and compassionate care to our families.

06/03/2026

We are pleased to report that our website is back up and running as normal.

Thank you for your patience.

06/03/2026

We are currently experiencing issues with our Trust website.

Our web developers are looking into this and aim to get the issue resolved as soon as possible.

We will update you when the system is up and running as normal.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience during this time.

05/03/2026

February's activity on Walnut Ward (Special Care Baby Unit)...

04/03/2026

The ward accreditation team at Darent Valley Hospital is very pleased to share the fantastic achievement of Cedar ward in their recent accreditation.

They have achieved an outstanding overall score of 93% and have also achieved impressive scores in the 5 CQC domains;

Safe: 96% - GOLD
Caring: 75% - SILVER
Effective: 88% - GOLD
Responsive: 93% - GOLD
Well-led: 100% - GOLD

The ward accreditation is a nationally recognised assessment that evaluates ward/unit based on the five CQC domains; Safe, Caring, Effective, Responsive and Well-led. The programme of accreditation acknowledges the quality of care provided in a hospital ward or unit. It also ensures consistent and high-quality care across all wards and units in the hospital.

Cedar ward's achievement is a testament of their commitment and dedication in delivering high quality care and patient experience. It also demonstrates very strong leadership and team work.

Huge congratulations to Cedar ward!

04/03/2026

February maternity/obstetric activity...

03/03/2026

The national Interim Report into maternity and neonatal services highlights pressures and variations in care across England, including concerns about compassion, communication and unequal experiences for some families.

We know this may leave many families feeling worried — especially those who may already feel they don’t always get the same chances, support or experience as others. Please be reassured that your safety, wellbeing and experience remain our highest priority. We are carefully reviewing the findings and remain fully committed to providing kind, safe and supportive care whenever you need us.

If you are pregnant, have concerns or need advice, please continue to access our services with confidence. We are here for you, and we are always ready to listen.

03/03/2026

Baroness Amos is asking women and families across England to share their experiences of maternity and neonatal care through a public Call for Evidence. Responses to the Call for Evidence will be used to inform the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation’s findings and recommendations.

The Call for Evidence is open for 8 weeks from 20 January until 17 March 2026.

There are two Call for Evidence surveys available:

One for women and people who have been pregnant to share their own experiences of maternity and neonatal services.

One for other people to share their experiences supporting someone through pregnancy. This could include fathers, non-birthing partners, family members, friends, or other support people.

You must be aged 16 and over to respond. If you are under 16, you must complete the Call for Evidence with somebody who is 16 or over.

Please do not include any personally identifiable information in the free-text boxes. All experiences will remain anonymised for evidence processing and use in investigation reports and publications. For more details, please refer to our Privacy Notice, which explains that personal information will not be used to identify individuals.

The deadline for responding to the Call for Evidence is 11:59pm on 17 March 2026.

Respond here: https://www.matneoinv.org.uk/call-for-evidence/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExVjA1ZlRqMHFGeHpzdUhKNXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR74KkeFxX7HOBPzSM5PtJc9zdzSYd7FxHaQS_90bvNHXJHJkTeuosrcdxzIUg_aem_L34Leakj9Nz3YLl0ZGYsRw

Baroness Amos is asking women and families across England to share their experiences of maternity and neonatal care through a public Call for Evidence.