Scandal-hit health board has paid out over £3.5m for mistakes
MORE than £3.5m has been paid out in compensation following mistakes and serious incidents in maternity units at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (UHB).
A Freedom of Information request (FOI) obtained by our sister paper the South Wales Echo has revealed that £3,575,687 was paid to families by the scandal-hit health board between 2016 and 2019.
The total relates to failings in maternity units at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant and Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB said the £3.5m figure only includes “closed” cases where all investigations have concluded, all costs (damages, defence and claimant) associated with the claim have been settled and there are no outstanding actions required.
Osmond, who died at just 13 days old, was unacceptable.
The 30-year-old said the lack of regular check-ups on Brianna, who was at risk of meconium aspiration after pooing during delivery, left her feeling neglected.
She also claimed Brianna suffered a fracture to her leg at birth which was recorded on her death certificate but not picked up by staff at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital before they were discharged.
Just 13 days later, Brianna tragically died in September 2016, and the family still do not know what the cause was.
“They should have been checking her stats every hour and offered both of us antibiotics if there was even the smallest chance of infection,” said Kylie, who also has two sons aged six and four. “She was a very teary baby at birth, but I just put that down as normal. It was only when I took her home and moved her leg that she began screaming in pain.
“Even though I only had her for those 13 days, they were the best days of my life.”
The independent panel set up to oversee the two maternity units is looking back at 150 cases over six years so further lessons can be learned.
In response to the compensation figures, Greg Dix, director of nursing, midwifery and patient care, said: “While we can’t comment on individual cases, we would like to deeply apologise to any women and families who have had distressing or poor experiences of our maternity services.
“We are committed to doing all we can to provide the highest-quality care and experience and have been working really hard to make changes to the way we design and deliver services to meet the needs of those in our care.
“This work includes building our engagement with women and families to listen to and learn from their experiences, improving the way we learn from serious incidents, strengthening our governance systems and enhancing staff training and support.
“We welcomed the most recent report from the independent maternity services oversight panel, which recognised progress has been made in a number of key areas.
“We also know there is still much to do and we will be working with our staff, our communities and the panel to continue to improve.
“It is absolutely vital that we learn from the past, including serious incidents and the experiences of families who have used our services.
“Our continued engagement with families, the clinical reviews and ongoing advice of the panel will support us to fully implement the recommendations of the Royal Colleges’ report and ensure that continual improvements are in place for the future.”