In 2017, the then Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt ordered an investigation into the care provided at the Maternity Ward of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals.
The scope of the inquiry
The inquiry began by looking into 23 cases, however it is reported that by November 2018 over 200 families had raised concerns about treatment provided at the Maternity Ward.
It is claimed that the inquiry was commenced following multiple bereaved families pushing for an independent review.
It is also understood that the Trust was battling higher than average mortality rates.
The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists (RCOG) were invited to the hospital in 2017 to assess its maternity and neonatal services. This culminated in the Trust being placed in special measures in November 2018.
Leaked interim report into Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust
Yesterday, the BBC and The Independent reported on a leaked interim report into Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust that alleges multiple infant deaths and infants left with long-term disabilities which are linked to substandard care.
The Independent states that the report:
“Singles out the deaths of at least 42 babies and three mothers at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust (SATH) between 1979 and 2017.
More than 50 children also suffered permanent brain damage after being deprived of oxygen during birth, the investigation discovered, as well as identifying 47 other cases of substandard care.”
It is now being reported that this inquiry could be much bigger than the ‘Morecombe Bay scandal’ which found that the death of 11 babies and 1 mother could have been avoided.
It is understood that the leaked report was not meant for publication and the midwife conducting the investigation confirmed that the independent review team are continuing to work towards “one, single, comprehensive independent report”.
The BBC published an article yesterday confirming that the report deals with issues including but not limited to:
“…Babies left brain-damaged because staff failed to realise labour was going wrong, or from group B strep or meningitis that can often be treated by antibiotics
Heartbeats not monitored adequately during labour
One father gaining his only feedback on his daughter’s death after bumping into a hospital employee at a supermarket
Multiple families “where deceased babies are given the wrong names by the trust – frequently in writing” and “on occasions referred to a deceased baby as ‘it’….”
The inquiry is on-going.
How Nelsons can help
Emily Rose is a Solicitor in our expert Medical Negligence team.
If you have any questions on the topics discussed in this article, then please contact Emily or another member of the team in Derby, Leicester or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.