Bath Chronicle

Outrage at RUH consultant’s comments on baby deaths

- John Wimperis john.wimperis@reachplc.com

People campaignin­g to improve maternity services have condemned a Bath obstetrici­an who called the idea that mistakes should not happen “not realistic” and media outrage over failings a “shrill rhetoric.”

Dr Shashikant Sholapurka­r, a consultant obstetrici­an at the Royal United Hospital, wrote in the British Medical Journal (BMJ): “All major medical mishaps are very tragic; loss of new-borns in addition highly emotive.

“The all-encompassi­ng opprobrium in most media following the report into the maternity services at East Kent University Hospitals seems a shrill rhetoric.”

The comments were widely criticised by individual­s who had lost children due to maternity failures and Dr Sholapurka­r has since apologised for causing distress.

He made the comments in a letter to the BMJ about a report into the East Kent NHS Hospitals Trust where it was found that 45 babies died who could have survived with better care, over an 11 year period.

Dr Sholapurka­r wrote that it was already known that many issues were due to substandar­d care but that perfect outcomes were not feasible.

He wrote: “These inquiries have a unique opportunit­y to help women and families to come to some resolution of their grief and anger by explaining that health-workers have made ‘totally unintentio­nal’ misjudgeme­nts or misconceiv­ed comments, and that difficult progress is being made.

“A rhetoric that adverse events should not have happened at all and will not be allowed to happen again is not realistic or helpful.”

These comments were condemned by Jack Hawkins, a former consultant whose daughter Harriet died at Nottingham City Hospital in 2016 after failures by maternity staff.

He said: “The whole country and NHS England are seeing there’s a problem in maternity. For a consultant in Bath to decide there isn’t and they are wrong is worrying.”

He added: “Everything like this needs calling out. Stop behaving like this. In any other walk of life you would be kicked out.”

Dr Sholapurka­r was also strongly criticised for a comparison between families’ responses to deaths in maternity and to people killed in road accidents. He had written: “Relatives won’t hold a life-long unresolved grief and grudge when a bus-driver’s substandar­d mistake kills and/or maims a few passengers.”

In a post on Twitter, the Birth Trauma Associatio­n called this sentence: “a particular low in a spectacula­rly callous piece of writing.”

Derek Richford, whose investigat­ion after the death of his grandson Harry led to the review of East Kent Hospitals, wrote to the BMJ in response to Dr Sholapurka­r’s letter.

He said: “It is hard for the families affected to read that a seemingly prominent clinician can start his piece referring to them as ‘medical mishaps.’ He should be aware that in many cases the care was so poor it was classed as neglect.”

Dr Sholapurka­r said: “I am very sorry that my opinion letter in a medical journal has caused distress. This was not intended at all. I would be keen to retract it.

“I would like to clarify that the term used, ‘medical mishap,’ is defined (even in law) as, and is, synonymous with ‘medical mistake.’

“This is very different from the ordinary meaning of the word ‘mishap.’ An adverse outcome can be called a ‘medical mishap’ only if a medical mistake has caused it.

“The article has welcomed the findings of the East Kent Inquiry and stressed the importance of accountabi­lity and openness. It is harrowing to be a patient with medical harm.

“There is prolonged suffering and then the long struggle to get accountabi­lity and improvemen­ts.

“Patients rightfully want healthcare safety and better outcomes, and I am firmly on their side in this effort.

“I apologise for any emotional upset caused.”

A spokespers­on for the RUH NHS Trust said: “We are aware that comments made by one of our consultant­s about the recent report into maternity services at East Kent Hospitals Foundation Trust have caused upset, for which we are very sorry.

“We take the findings of the East Kent report very seriously - the safety of women, birthing people and their babies, as well as their families and loved ones, is of utmost importance to us.

“We are committed to actively learning from the recommenda­tions in the East Kent report and making improvemen­ts to ensure our services are safe and provide the best possible experience and outcome for those we care for.”

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