Parents 'horrified' By Maternity Services Report

There are "significant'' concerns astir nan information and value of maternity services astatine an NHS trust, a caller study has revealed.

Issues pinch staffing, a "challenging'' civilization and a deficiency of learning from erstwhile incidents were identified astatine Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust.

NHS England published its findings pursuing a sojourn to nan spot successful March this year. It made 101 recommendations to amended nan value of attraction and guarantee nan "wellbeing'' of mothers and babies.

In response, LTH said making urgent improvements was a "priority''.

Over nan past six months, nan BBC has spoken to 67 families who said they knowledgeable inadequate attraction astatine nan trust, including parents who said their babies suffered avoidable wounded aliases death. We besides talked to 5 whistleblowers who person raised information concerns.

Two months aft our first report, NHS England placed nan spot nether its nationalist Maternity Safety Support Programme (MSSP). Its teams activity to amended services wherever superior concerns person been identified.

Areas of concerns nan MSSP study highlighted included:

• Staff picture information concerns being de-escalated without resolution, and learning from incidents was not robust which meant location was a continuation connected antecedently identified themes.
• Lack of cardiotocography (CTG) machines to alteration women to beryllium efficaciously and safely monitored.
• Issues pinch escalation process particularly retired of hours pinch nary objective aliases midwifery guidance connected call.
• Challenge successful responding to families who person knowledgeable harm and mediocre outcomes.
• Poor connection and staffing issues pinch maternity activity needing improvement.

An NHS whistleblower told nan BBC location were "still immense concerns astir nan deficiency of progress" connected immoderate of nan recommendations successful nan MSSP report, arsenic immoderate of nan points had already been identified successful January during a Rapid Quality Review Meeting, which nan NHS holds to floor plan consequence and make action plans.

The whistleblower said "many areas of interest had not been rectified" since January and that nan spot would besides person seen nan MSSP study earlier it was published, arsenic early arsenic May.

A group of Leeds bereaved families said nan MSSP report, which besides highlights bully practices, is "truly shocking and horrifying reading".

"As bereaved and harmed families this astir caller report, yet again, wholly vindicates what we person been saying for years. The civilization of denial, nan nonaccomplishment to perceive and nan absence of existent accountability are systemic and persistent," a spokesperson said.

The MSSP study comes a period aft LTH's maternity services astatine 2 hospitals were downgraded from "good" to "inadequate" by nan Care Quality Commission.

Fiona Winser-Ramm, whose girl Aliona died successful 2020 aft what an inquest recovered to beryllium a number of "gross failures", is among dozens of families calling for an independent enquiry into nan maternity services to guarantee accountability for nan deaths aliases injuries of their babies.

The trust's CEO Phil Wood announced this month, conscionable days earlier nan study was published, that he would discontinue astatine nan extremity of nan year.

He has led nan spot since February 2023, but has been astatine LTH for much than a decade, including arsenic main aesculapian serviceman from May 2020 until his assignment arsenic CEO.

Bereaved families said nan timing of Mr Wood's departure was "concerning" fixed nan ongoing issues pinch maternity services and worried location was a deficiency of accountability fixed that he was astatine nan spot erstwhile dozens of mothers and babies faced perchance avoidable harm.

Rabina Tindale, main caregiver astatine LTH, said: "This study has highlighted important areas wherever we request to amended our maternity services, and my privilege is to make judge we urgently return action to present nan recommendations.

"I would for illustration to apologise to each nan families who person received maternity attraction pinch america which has fallen short of nan precocious modular we purpose to provide."

The spot was committed to delivering nan "highest modular of care" to everyone, she added, and was taking steps to present "safe", "high-quality" and "compassionate" care.

Mr Wood said: "My volition was to discontinue successful nan adjacent 12 to 18 months, but pinch nan changes taking spot wrong nan NHS nationally, this feels for illustration nan correct clip for maine to manus complete to a caller leader.

"I americium committed to making judge our robust maternity betterment plans, already developed pinch nan CQC and NHS England, are afloat embedded, and that we prosecute constructively pinch nan Rapid National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal services arsenic it develops."

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