NHS BOSSES’ EMPTY VOWS
Only 23 days after pledge to end spate of baby deaths, Pippa was failed by midwives
A BABY died due to failings at a scandal-hit NHS trust three weeks after bosses insisted maternity services had improved.
One-day-old Pippa Griffiths was killed by an infection on April 27 last year – after a board meeting was told on April 4 that lessons had been learned from the avoidable death of baby Kate Stanton-Davies in 2009.
In minutes from the public Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust session obtained by the Mirror, chair Prof Peter Latchford said: “We have learned, as a trust, over the last few years, and I hope some of what is said today will go some way to reassuring both Kate’s parents and all of those who place their care in our hands that we have taken important lessons from this tragic incident.” He was speaking after an independent report slammed the trust’s poor safety culture and defensive attitude to complaints.
Trust chief executive Simon Wright also told the meeting the trust “now operates improved practices”. And in the week before the board meeting, he vowed that “significant steps” had been taken.
Pippa’s mother Kayleigh said: “We expected better from the NHS. But Pippa was failed.”
And Kate’s mum Rhiannon added: “When I found out Pippa had died weeks after they had promised improvements had been made, I was devastated because we had been lied to.
“Nothing had changed and another baby had died needlessly.” The Mirror revealed yesterday that two national NHS bodies are probing the deaths of at least 15 babies and three mums in the trust’s care. A team is also investigating 10 near-misses.
In a statement this week, Mr Wright said: “The trust has carried out investigations into every case to ensure lessons can be learned. Looking at the case of Pippa, we are truly sorry we did not provide the appropriate care that would have prevented Pippa’s death.”
But the Mirror also found the trust was warned to improve maternity services in 2007. Rhiannon said: “It begs the question: Why was the warning ignored?”
We are truly sorry we did not provide the appropriate care SIMON WRIGHT CEO SHREWS & TELFORD TRUST