Shrewsbury maternity scandal: ‘Unimaginable trauma’ caused, says Javid as report details avoidable baby deaths
Follow updates as Shewsbury maternity scandal inquiry published
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Your support makes all the difference.The health secretary has said failures at an NHS hospital trust led to “unimaginable trauma for so many people” as a new inquiry shed light on the worst maternity scandal in the history of the British health service.
Sajid Javid also apologised after the report found 295 baby deaths or brain damage cases could have been avoided with better care. More than a dozen women also died.
The inquiry - led by maternity expert Donna Ockenden - looked into more than 1,000 incidents at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust over two decades.
It found the trust presided over catastophic failings during this time, which resulted in babies dying, suffering fractured skulls and other injuries, as well as causing harm to mothers.
Ms Ockenden said “failures in care were repeated from one incident to the next” and babies came to harm due to “ineffective monitoring of foetal growth and a culture of reluctance to perform Caesarean sections”.
Two years ago, The Independent revealed more than a dozen women and more than 40 babies died during childbirth at the trust due to a culture that denied women choice.
Opinion: ‘We lost our babies at Shrewsbury maternity hospital – the NHS must be held to account'
The trauma for our families doesn’t just stop now that the report is out. On the contrary – we are exhausted. The fight that we’ve had to endure to get to this point has taken everything out of us. We’ve needed it to come to an end for our own mental health, our own sanity.
It is heartbreaking to have gone through the death of a child, but then to realise that other families have gone through the same – despite all that should’ve been learned – is devastating.
We’ve heard the same, empty “sorrys”, time and time again – but saying sorry is not going to bring back our children.
Kate Stanton-Davies and Pippa Griffiths both lost their babies at Shrewsbury maternity hospital, in 2009 and 2016 respectively. Now they are calling on the NHS to “undergo heavy-duty scrutiny”.
There words are available to read in full here:
Opinion: We lost our babies at Shrewsbury – the NHS must be held to account
We lost our children Kate Stanton-Davies in 2009, and Pippa Griffiths in 2016. The final Ockenden report has now been published – but saying sorry is not going to bring back our children
Ockenden report raises ‘lost opportunities' to prevent further baby deaths occurring
One of the key findings of the Ockenden report was that the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust failed to learn from their mistakes.
Richard Stanton and Rhiannon Davies, who have campaigned for years over the poor care, lost their daughter Kate hours after her birth in March 2009.
The trust noted her death but described it as a “no harm” event, although an inquest jury later ruled Kate’s death could have been avoided. The trust still insisted its care had been in line with national guidelines.
In her final report, Ms Ockenden said there was evidence of poor investigation into the deaths of two other babies, Joshua and Thomas, who died within the same year before Kate in similar circumstances.
She said there was a lack of transparency and a “lost opportunity” to prevent further baby deaths occurring.
Another couple who have led the campaign for safer care are Kayleigh and Colin Griffiths, whose daughter Pippa died in 2016 from a Group B Strep infection. A year later, a coroner ruled her death could have been avoided.
Sajid Javid issues apology for maternity service failings at NHS Trust
Ockenden report shows need to ‘redouble efforts to achieve the changes’, says pregnancy charity
A spregnancy charity has welcomed the Ockenden report but said there is still more to do, adding “safe maternity care isn’t an ambition, it’s a right.”
Heidi Eldridge, CEO at MAMA Academy, said: “Donna Ockenden’s review is a painstakingly thorough investigation and has highlighted a number of immediate and essential actions to improve maternity services across the entire country.
“It is clear from this review that there is plenty of work still to do, and we must all redouble our efforts to achieve the changes outlined in today’s report.
“This report highlights the need for increased funding, a properly resourced workforce, protected opportunities for staff to train – particularly on critical aspects of safety, and robust, timely investigations when things go wrong, making sure lessons are properly learnt so that mistakes aren’t repeated.
“Today we hold in our thoughts the many families and babies whose experiences have contributed to the Ockenden Review, and other families up and down the land who have experienced tragic outcomes. This report will be particularly difficult for them to hear, and whilst this journey to maternity safety is not an easy one to take, it is a road we have to travel.”
Donna Ockenden urges NHS staff to ‘ speak up if they’ve got concerns'
Maternity expert Donna Ockenden, who led the damning report into Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said women’s voices “must be heard”.
Asked if there was a concern that Nottingham or East Kent could become the “the next Shrewsbury“, Ms Ockenden told the PA news agency: “So I think that what every trust needs to do now is take hold of the immediate and essential actions and make sure that they robustly assess themselves against that roadmap, against that blueprint.
“Staff should speak up if they’ve got concerns.
“I think what is also important is to say to mothers who may be having a baby today, tomorrow, next week, next month, is that if you have concerns, speak out, speak up.
“Don’t feel worried about the maternity care that you might be having currently, or you’re going to have in the near future.
“Women’s voices will be heard and must be heard.
Ockenden report raises 15 areas for ‘immediate action’ in England maternity care
The Ockenden report has raised 15 areas for “immediate and essential action” to improve care and safety in maternity services across England.
Areas such as safe staffing, escalation and accountability, clinical governance and robust support for families have all been included as “must dos” by maternity expert Donna Ockenden in the 234-page document.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust have also been handed 60 local actions for learning, in light of care received by 1,486 families.
Ockenden report raises 15 areas for ‘immediate action’ in England maternity care
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust have also been handed 60 local actions for learning.
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