In yet more reports of failing maternity services, the BBC has this week said that data they have retrieved reveals that hundreds of parents have made complaints about maternity care at West Suffolk Hospital and Ipswich Hospital since 2019.
Hundreds of complaints
The data obtained by the BBC shows that 481 complaints have been made to the hospitals since 2019.
99 of the complaints made to Ipswich Hospital cited poor communication, and 55 of the complaints were regarding the level of patient care.
Continued failures
This comes just three years after West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmonds, was told to make improvements by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after inspectors raised significant concerns over patient safety.
And this is also not the first time Ipswich Hospital has come under scrutiny. It was previously found to have put the lives of mums and babies at risk by the CQC.
Improvements needed
Bosses of the hospitals have offered reassurance to mums-to-be in the county, suggesting that the number of complaints they have received pales in comparison with the number of births they manage.
Director of Midwifery at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Ipswich Hospital, said:
“Safe, compassionate care for women, babies, and their families is our top priority. There are around 7,000 births every year in our hospitals. It’s so important to us that each of those experiences is positive and families are well supported.
“When we don’t get things right, we listen to ensure we learn from that feedback so we can make improvements.”
Comment
It is unfortunate and extremely worrying that there continue to be so many reports of failing maternity services across the UK.
Back in March, the Government said it would invest £35 million into funding specialist training for staff and additional midwives to improve services across the country.
Following the general election and change of Government, much scrutiny will be directed toward the management and funding of the NHS by the Labour Government now in place. It is clear that there is much work to do to improve NHS services generally, but the continued issues and concerns with maternity services, in particular, must be addressed urgently to ensure that parents and babies are receiving adequate and safe care.
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Danielle Young is a Legal Director in our Medical Negligence team, which is ranked in Tier One by the independently researched publication, The Legal 500, and Commended in The Times Best Law Firms 2024.
If you have any questions about the subjects discussed in this article, please contact Danielle or another team member in Derby, Leicester, or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online enquiry form.
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