The health minister said the failures at an NHS hospital had led to an “inconceivable trauma for so many people” as a new investigation shed light on the worst maternity scandal in British health service history. Sajid Javid also apologized after the report found that 295 infant deaths or cases of brain damage could have been avoided with better care. More than a dozen women also died. The study – led by maternity expert Donna Ockenden – looked at more than 1,000 cases at Shrewsbury and the Telford Hospital Trust over two decades. He found that trust led to catastrophic failures during this period, which resulted in babies dying, skull fractures and other injuries, as well as harming mothers. Ms Ockenden said “care failures were repeated overnight” and the babies were harmed by “ineffective monitoring of fetal development and a culture of reluctance to have a caesarean section”. Two years ago, The Independent revealed that more than a dozen women and more than 40 babies died during childbirth at the trust because of a culture that denied women choice.
Basic points
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CEO says trust “committed to cultural change program”
The NHS Trust managing director of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital said she was confident the highly controlled organization was receiving the support it needed to improve. Asked about staff comments on the survey in recent weeks, claiming that employees had said not to participate in the Ockenden survey, Louise Barnett said: “We are very committed to the in-house culture change program. That’s the focus of our plans. “ He said: “We have made progress. “We have more colleagues who contribute their ideas and also express concerns, which we act within the organization.” Louise Barnett is the CEO of The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (PA) Zoe Tidman30 March 2022 15:11 1648648330
Charity calls for a “momentum” for maternity care
Sands, which supports those who have become pregnant or lost a baby, called the report a “momentum” for maternity care. See the full response of the team here: Zoe Tidman30 March 2022 14:52 1648647628
The entire apology of the Minister of Health
Sajid Javid apologized for the obstetric service failures reported to the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust. You can read his statement in the House of Commons here: Zoe Tidman30 March 2022 14:40 1648646122
Lawyers hope the report represents a “turning point”
Beth Heath of Lanyon Bowdler Solicitors, which helps dozens of families with anti-trust lawsuits, says: “We wholeheartedly support the report’s recommendations and, on behalf of the many families we have helped with allegations of clinical negligence, we can only hope that this is a turning point for obstetric services at Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals. “Unfortunately, there are still unanswered questions for many families. The Ockenden review looked at cases involving 1,486 families and 1,592 cases where there were alleged obstetric failures, which was limited to between 1999 and 2019 – and there are many cases outside the review. Zoe Tidman30 March 2022 14:15 1648644953
Areas for “substantial action”
The Ockenden report has identified 15 areas for “immediate and effective action” to improve care and safety in maternity services across the UK. This includes how to ensure secure staffing, strong family support, and improved postpartum care. Here are just a few examples of the conclusions:
Staff need to be able to escalate concerns Incident investigations must make sense for families and staff and lessons learned must be learned and put into practice in a timely manner Collaborating staff should be trained together Women who choose to give birth out of hospital should get precise advice on transport times to the maternity ward if this is necessary Trusts must ensure that women who have lost a pregnancy have adequate mourning services. Caring for and taking into account the mental health and well-being of mothers, their partners and the family as a whole must be an integral part of all aspects of maternity services.
Zoe Tidman30 March 2022 13:55 1648644850
‘Difficult to understand scale’ of scandal, says former health secretary who ordered investigation
Jeremy Hunt, who ordered the investigation as health minister in 2017, said it was “difficult to understand the magnitude of the scandal” revealed by the report. Zoe Tidman30 March 2022 13:54 1648643813
“A heartbreaking truth about what families faced”
Feryal Clark, the shadow minister for patient safety, said reports of the Shrewsbury maternity scandal revealed “the frightening truth of what these families had to deal with”. “The cries for help are not heard, parents should try to rejuvenate their children because there was no one there to help. “Women and babies are dying unnecessarily because they just were not heard,” he said. “It is a shame that women were silenced and ignored in their most vulnerable position when they relied on the NHS to keep them safe. “No woman should ever face going to the hospital to give birth and not know if she and her baby will come out alive.” Zoe Tidman30 March 2022 13:36 1648643137
The MP says that the constituency asked the staff for the Caesarean section
An MP said how one of her constituencies asked staff for a caesarean section after a 36-hour delivery, but was forced to give birth naturally. Lucy Allan said Hayley Matthews’s son, Jack, arrived blue and floppy and died within hours. “The report is causing a disastrous reading, all the more so because the voices of women have been ignored,” Allen told lawmakers. He thanked the 1,862 women who shared their experiences with the critics. Zoe Tidman30 March 2022 13:25 1648641780
The Minister of Health apologizes for the failures of the trust
The health secretary apologized to the Commons for the obstetric service failures reported to the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust. Sajid Javid told MPs: “We trust the NHS to take care of us, often when we are most vulnerable. In return we expect the highest standards. “I have seen with my own family the brilliant care that NHS maternity services can provide. But when these standards are not met, we must act decisively, and the care and compassion failures mentioned in this report have absolutely no place in the NHS. “I’m sorry for all the families who have suffered so much. “The report clearly shows that you failed a service that was there to help you and your loved ones bring life to this world. “We will make the changes that the report says are needed both locally and nationally.” He said the Ockenden report presents a “tragic and painful picture” of “repeated failures” in care for two decades. “This report presents a tragic and painful picture of repeated failures in care for two decades, which led to unimaginable trauma for so many people, instead of moments of joy and happiness,” he said. “For these families, their experience of caring for motherhood has been an experience of tragedy and anguish, and the effects of these failures have been felt in families, communities and generations. The cases in this report are intense and deeply disturbing. “ Mr Javid added: “This is a disastrous description for empty bedrooms, deprived families and loved ones taken prematurely.” Jane Dalton30 March 2022 13:03 1648640326
The NHS trust blamed the mothers
Mothers blamed for the deaths of more than 200 babies that could have been avoided at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, an investigation into the biggest motherhood scandal in NHS history, writes Rebecca Thomas: Jane Dalton30 March 2022 12:38
