A recent investigation by The Independent and Channel Four has revealed that dozens of babies died or suffered brain damage due to poor care received at Nottingham University Hospital Trust’s (NUH) maternity services.
According to the report, the Trust did not properly recognise and respond to high levels of harm faced by both mothers and babies in their maternity units. Poor record-keeping, failures or delays in treatment, poor risk management, and even falsifying reports to divert blame were brought to light by the investigations’ findings.
The findings are sadly reflected against a backdrop of failings within maternity care unearthed in recent years. Earlier this month, a report from the Health and Social Care Committee stated that improvements in maternity services are not happening quickly enough and around 1,000 babies’ deaths are preventable every year.
Despite these stark findings, the Chief Executive of NUH stated that improving maternity services is a top priority and significant changes are being introduced, including hiring, training more midwives and introducing digital maternity records. Furthermore, earlier this year, NHS England revealed that £100 million will be spent on training and recruitment within maternity units in the NHS. This is a welcome development for improving maternity care across the UK. Greater awareness and learning from patient safety incidents are vital to ensure that expectant mothers feel safe and that the tragedies revealed by the report are not repeated.
Moosa-Duke Solicitors are experienced clinical negligence solicitors with expertise in investigating birth injury claims and failures in maternity care. If you believe that you or a loved one has suffered as a result of substandard care from a medical professional, please feel free to call us on 0116 254 7456 for a no-obligation discussion.
Sources;
https://www.channel4.com/news/revealed-over-30-deaths-in-nottingham-maternity-units-scandal