Coroner must examine suspect stillbirths, says Hunt
CORONERS should be granted powers to investigate stillbirths, in a bid to prevent heartbreaking blunders in childbirth, Jeremy Hunt will say today.
The call comes as a major report into baby deaths linked one third to staffing shortages and lack of other resources, warning the vast majority of tragedies could have been avoided.
The Health Secretary will today call for changes to the legal system, so that inquests could be held to examine failings that caused babies to be stillborn. Currently, coroners can only investigate deaths of babies who show signs of life after being born.
Britain has one of the worst stillbirth rates in the western world, according to international studies, and is facing a record £2 billion negligence bill fuelled by childbirth blunders.
While high settlements are paid when babies are born brain-damaged to cover the costs of lifetime care, when infants are stillborn damages are low. Safety campaigners say that, as a result, too little has been done to learn lessons to prevent future tragedies.
Today Mr Hunt will announce changes which will see 1,000 cases of death and severe brain injury undergo independent investigation each year, led by a new NHS safety body.
He will also announce the Government’s intention to consider changes in the law, to grant coroners powers to hold inquests into stillbirths. In a major speech in Oxford, Mr Hunt is expected to say: “The tragic death or life-changing injury of a baby is something no parent should have to bear, but one thing that can help is getting honest answers quickly from an independent investigator.
“Too many families have been denied this in the past. Countless mothers and fathers who have suffered like this say that the most important outcome for them is making sure lessons are learnt so that no one else has to endure the same heartbreak. These important changes will help us to make that promise in the future.”
Four in five cases of baby death, brain injury and stillbirth might have been avoided with the right care, and in 36 per cent of cases, shortages of staff, or space in delivery rooms were a key factor, the audit by the MBRRACEUK collaboration found.
The Government had pledged to halve rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries by 2030, after an international study in 2011 showed Britain’s rates were 33rd out of 35 in the developing world.
Today Mr Hunt will bring forward the pledge to 2025, saying the improvements will save more than 4,000 lives.
The new system will see around 1,000 deaths and cases of severe injury referred to a new Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch, which is led by safety experts. The plans include targets to reduce the number of premature babies.