Baby deaths scandal 'could be one of largest in history of NHS'
Hundreds more cases of baby deaths, stillbirths and brain damage raising “very serious” concerns have been uncovered in a scandal that now threatens to be one of the worst in the history of the NHS.
A review of incidents on maternity wards at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS trust has identified 1,170 cases that warrant investigation.
The review covers fatalities and other serious outcomes in a 40-year period up to the end of 2018. In January the government said the number of cases under review had climbed to 900. According to figures released on Tuesday by the chair of the review, Donna Ockenden, a further 270 cases are also being investigated.
“The total now stands at 1,170 as more families have been identified,” she told the Guardian. “The cases have kept growing as the number of families coming forward to us has continued.”
Ockenden, a maternity specialist commissioned by the governmetn in 2017 to conduct the review, declined to say how many deaths were involved as the investigation continues.
An initial inquiry into about 250 cases found that at least 42 babies and three mothers may have died unnecessarily and more than 50 newborns suffered avoidable brain damage at the trust. Since then hundreds more cases have emerged.
Ockenden said she had written this week to 400 families where potential failures had been identified. Of these cases, 333 involved either stillbirths, neonatal deaths or baby brain damage, and there were a small number of maternal deaths, she said.
She stressed that all of the 1,170 cases that had emerged so far involved “very serious” concerns.
The new figures show the maternity failings in Shropshire are approaching the scale of the Mid Staffs scandal, the worst in the history of the NHS, in which between 400 and 1,200 patients died as a result of poor care between January 2005 and March 2009.
Ockenden said: “My understanding is that this is one of the largest NHS scandals that there has ever been potentially.”
She added: “I have made it clear to the families that the review is ongoing despite the Covid-19 crisis.”
This month inspectors said care at the trust had deteriorated and rated it as “inadequate” for a second time in a row. Asked whether she would feel safe having a baby at the trust now, Ockenden said: “I’m aware how hard the trust is working on its improvement journey.”
Hayley Matthews, from Telford, lost her baby son Jack from a group B streptococcus infection, pneumonia and a heart attack 11 hours after he was born in March 2015. “It’s been over five years now and there still be no apology from the trust,” she said.
She said she asked for a caesarean but was ignored by staff and then lost two litres of blood after a haemorrhage during Jack’s birth. “They traumatised me to the point where I would never go back there. They’ve been hopeless with me and nothing seems to have changed.”
Matthews added: “When I clap for the NHS on Thursday night, I do it for everybody bar those in maternity services.”
Tim Annett, a specialist lawyer at Irwin Mitchell who is representing families connected to the Ockenden review, said: “While nothing can make up for what has happened, we welcome the fact that the hospital trust has referred these cases for potential review itself, that the families are being asked for their views, and that there is a commitment to sharing a final report.
“It’s now vital that these families receive the care and support they may need to get through this difficult time.”
Louise Barnett, the trust’s chief executive, said: “We are continuing to work with the independent review into our maternity services to ensure that all families have the opportunity to speak with Donna or a member of her team to determine what further lessons can be learned to make maternity services better for everyone in the future. We are committed to learning and making further changes to improve our maternity services.”
She urged any families with concerns about maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford to contact the review on 01243 786993 or emailmaternityreview@donnaockende n.com