The Government has this week confirmed the names of 14 Hospital Trusts that will be part of a rapid national investigation of maternity and newborn baby care across England that was announced by Wes Streeting back in June. (See my colleague Sharon Burkill’s blog on that announcement here). I am carefully watching the developments with regard to this investigation, knowing full well from my clients and their stories how desperately improvements to our maternity services are needed.
The 14 hospitals to be investigated are said to have been selected on a variety of factors including perinatal mortality rate data and Care Quality Commission maternity patient survey data. Other criteria are also said to have been used in order to ‘determine a diverse mix of Trusts’. These include geographical location, feedback from families and the provision of care to individuals from various backgrounds.
The 14 NHS Trusts are:
- Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust
- East Kent Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust
- Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Oxford University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
- The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
- The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
- University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
- Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Among the named Trusts are three where previous investigations have already taken place and where some concerning findings have been reported. They are Shrewsbury and Telford, East Kent Hospitals and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay. It has been stated that learnings from those previous investigations will be incorporated in the new rapid national investigation.
The Government says the investigation will look at a range of services across the whole of the maternity system – acknowledging that various independent reviews have already revealed a pattern of similar failings across multiple Trusts: ‘women’s voices ignored, safety concerns overlooked and poor leadership creating toxic cultures.’
The new investigation is being led by Baroness Amos, a previous UK Government minister and current Master of University College Oxford. Baroness Amos has said: ‘It is vital that the voices of mothers and families are at the heart of this investigation from the very beginning’ and that their experiences will guide and shape national recommendations. She confirms that the 14 local investigations of maternity and neonatal services will be made public.
I agree that it is imperative that the review is centred around the experiences of patients and also that testimonies are gathered from a wide variety of people affected by poor maternity care. My own experience in acting for clients in birth injury claims is that parents have so often struggled to understand treatment choices, to have their concerns taken seriously and to advocate for themselves. The social, emotional and financial costs of mothers and children injured at birth has been overlooked for many years and I hope this review makes a real difference to the tragic outcomes that many have experienced in recent years.
Once the investigation has concluded, one clear set of national recommendations will be made. Interim recommendations are expected in the meantime in December and I await these with much interest and genuine hope.
About the author
Kirsty is a highly experienced medical negligence solicitor who undertakes a wide variety of cases with particular specialisms in child cerebral palsy and adult brain injury cases, fatal claims, loss of sight cases, as well as failure to diagnose cancer and gynaecological claims.
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