“…lessons must be learned to ensure that no one else has to go through what these families have suffered.”
The above wording comes from a recent public inquiry into Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust maternity wards. The inquiry produced a heart-breaking report which found that over 200 babies had died unnecessarily and that many are suffering from life-changing injuries and conditions due to poor care and neglect. The report also found that many babies’ deaths were not looked into and some mothers were even wrongly blamed for the deaths.
As we previously wrote, the report into the maternity care services at the Trust came about due to the ingenuity and tenacity of two mothers who had lost their babies as a result of poor care.
Public inquiry into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH)
It seems Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust is not alone as calls for inquiries into other maternity wards have been made, including Nottingham.
In 2020, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) served a warning letter on NUH after it identified a number of issues including an increase in stillbirths and issues with triage delays, and rated the hospitals as ‘inadequate’ in October 2020. In just ten years, 40 babies had suffered brain damage. The warning letter also noted that:
“…there were some midwives who may have been acting outside of their competency in respect of reviewing scans.”
Jack and Sarah Hawkins set up a support group when their baby Harriet died after a series of failings by NUH in 2016. The couple suffered significant psychiatric trauma from losing their first baby who was stillborn. NUH initially refused to acknowledge responsibility for Harriet’s death but an independent report found there was a “lack of midwifery and obstetric leadership and team working” and her death was almost certainly preventable. After the report was published, NUH issued an apology.
Another couple, Gary and Sarah Andrews, are asking NUH for accountability and for a scrutiny committee to ask the difficult questions on behalf of desperate families “why were they harmed, or why they left the hospital with an empty car seat?”
A thematic review was launched last year by the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS England and has already seen input from 387 families so far. The review is expected to be completed on 30 November 2022. This is a frustrating wait for families who lost babies so long ago.
Comment
It appears that since the 2020 warning letter, little progress has been made. The public fear that the review process is too slow and will not prompt enough action. The call for a public inquiry is backed by a number of MPs, including Alex Norris, Lilian Greenwood, and Nadia Whittome. Their joint statement demands a review of services as “lessons must be learned to ensure that no one else has to go through what these families have suffered.”
How we can help
Carolle White is a Senior Associate and Legal Executive in our Medical Negligence team, which has been ranked in tier one by the independently researched publication, The Legal 500.
Our team have extensive experience in dealing with cases involving birth injuries and can help you if you have been affected in ways similar to those outlined in this article. We can also deal with the complete range of claims involving concerns regarding medical treatment and can provide you with preliminary advice if you have any concerns.
Please get in touch with Carolle or another member of the team in Derby, Leicester, or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.