Health Secretary Wes Streeting said bereaved families had shown “extraordinary courage” in coming forward
A London NHS hospital trust has been named as one of 14 in the country which will be examined in a national investigation into “failures” in NHS maternity and neonatal services. Baroness Amos has been tasked to lead the investigation – with bereaved families at the heart of the work – to drive improvements after systemic problems in England’s maternity and neonatal care dating back more than 15 years.
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust is on the list. It was named the worst NHS trust in London last year for babies being stillborn due to negligence, with 22 babies stillborn between the financial years 2012/13 and 2022/23. This meant the trust had to pay out £986,015 in damages, the second highest of any London trust, as well as take on £120,092 in legal fees with the claimants’ legal fees being £851,456.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said bereaved families had shown “extraordinary courage” in coming forward, adding: “What they have experienced is devastating and their strength will help protect other families from enduring what they have been through.
“I know that NHS maternity and neonatal workers want the best for these mothers and babies, and that the vast majority of births are safe and without incident, but I cannot turn a blind eye to failures in the system. Every single preventable tragedy is one too many. Harmed and bereaved families will be right at the heart of this investigation to ensure no-one has to suffer like this again.”
Health bodies called for support and transparency, saying there may be real anxiety among women, families and staff at the 14 selected trusts which are:
– Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
– Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
– Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
– East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust
– Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust
– Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
– Oxford University Hospital
– Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
– Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
– The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn
– University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
– University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
– University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
– Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust / Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Baroness Amos, who is to make national recommendations for improvements, said “it is vital” that the experiences of mothers and affected families are at the heart of the investigation from its “very beginning” and are “fully heard”.
She said: “Their experiences – including those of fathers and non-birthing partners – will guide our work and shape the national recommendations we will publish. We will pay particular attention to the inequalities faced by black and Asian women and by families from marginalised groups, whose voices have too often been overlooked.”
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has called for urgency and support for staff and families. It also called on the review to make it easy for staff to raise their concerns. RCM chief executive Gill Walton said it is “imperative that this investigation gets underway at pace”, adding: “This announcement will bring clarity but it will also bring fresh challenges for maternity staff at the trusts affected. It is vital that staff are supported through what will inevitably be a difficult process.
“When this investigation was first announced it was described as a ‘rapid review’ that would report by December. It is vital this work gets under way quickly so that the families who have suffered unimaginable harm get the answers they need and hard-pressed maternity staff get the support and investment they’ve been calling for. “
She added: “It should not be the case that, in 21st century Britain, black and Asian women are disproportionately more likely to die during childbirth or soon after, or that their babies are more likely to have poorer outcomes. The RCM is pleased that this investigation will address this, alongside the inequalities facing women from deprived backgrounds.”
Professor Ranee Thakar, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “It is vital that the review process now brings everyone together with compassion, a commitment to transparency and appropriate support. Too many women and babies are not getting the safe, compassionate care they deserve and the maternity workforce is on its knees, with staff leaving the profession.”
Rory Deighton, director of the acute network at the NHS Confederation, said it is “vital that we learn from failings in maternity services so that care can be made safer for all women and babies”. He said: “NHS leaders and their teams work very hard to keep mothers and their babies safe but accept that there needs to be improvements in maternity services.
“There are ongoing challenges around safety, equity and staffing shortages and this inquiry presents an important opportunity to support front-line maternity services to improve where needed.”
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