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Sky News
6 hours ago
- Health
- Sky News
'Significant risk' posed to women and babies at two NHS hospitals in Leeds, regulator finds
Maternity and neonatal services at two Leeds hospitals have been rated inadequate over safety issues, the NHS regulator has said. An investigation by the Care and Quality Commission (CQC) said maternity services at Leeds General Infirmary and St James's University Hospital have fallen from an overall rating of good to inadequate after unannounced inspections in December and January. Whistleblowers, service users and their families raised concerns to the CQC about the quality of care for mothers and babies at the two hospitals - both part of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The regulator found breaches in several areas across the hospitals and their departments, including dirty areas in maternity wards that put people at risk of infection, medicines being stored unsafely, and issues around a "blame culture" that meant staff stayed quiet about concerns. At both Leeds hospitals' neonatal services, the CQC found leaders had not ensured adequate staff levels with the right qualifications and skills, there was no designated private space for breastfeeding, and equipment was not secured safely. Ann Ford, the CQC's director of operations in the north, said the concerns raised "were substantiated, and this posed a significant risk to the safety of women, people using these services, and their babies as the staff shortages impacted on the timeliness of the care and support they received". She added that while staff were working hard to provide good care, "leaders weren't listening to them" when they identified areas of concern. Ms Ford also noted that babies were transferred between the two hospitals "when it wasn't safe for them to do so". The CQC said the two hospitals' neonatal services were inadequate, as they were rated as standalone services for the first time. The overall rating for Leeds General Infirmary was downgraded from good to requires improvement, and St James's University Hospital remains rated as requires improvement. The overall rating for the trust remains rated as good. Last year, a parliamentary inquiry found there was "shockingly poor quality" in maternity services, and good care was "the exception rather than the rule". Former health minister Maria Caulfield told Sky News at the time that maternity services had not been where they should be and apologised to mothers who had been affected. 2:02 How has NHS trust responded? Professor Phil Wood, chief executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said the CQC findings "have highlighted significant areas where we need to improve our maternity and neonatal services, and my priority is to make sure we urgently take action to deliver these improvements". "I want to reassure every family due to have their baby with us in Leeds and any new parents that we are absolutely committed to providing safe, compassionate care," he added. "We deliver more than 8,500 babies each year and the vast majority of those are safe and positive experiences for our families. But we recognise that's not the experience of all families. "The loss of any baby is a tragedy, and I am extremely sorry to the families who have lost their babies when receiving care in our hospitals." Prof Wood said the trust has already started making improvements to its services by recruiting 55 midwives since last autumn, while a further 35 newly qualified midwives are due to start later this year. More midwifery leadership roles have also been appointed to support clinical teams, he added.
The Guardian
12 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Two Leeds hospitals' maternity services rated inadequate over safety risks
The care of women and babies at two Leeds hospitals presents a significant risk to their safety, the NHS regulator has said, after the preventable deaths of dozens of newborns. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) demanded urgent improvements to maternity services at Leeds general infirmary and St James's hospital as it downgraded them to 'inadequate'. A BBC investigation this year found that the deaths of at least 56 babies and two mothers may have been preventable at the two hospitals between January 2019 and July 2024. The hospitals, run by Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust, are the latest to be engulfed by a maternity scandal that has revealed catastrophic failings in Nottingham, Shrewsbury and Telford, Morecambe Bay, east Kent and others. The downgrading of maternity and neonatal services in Leeds follows unannounced inspections by the CQC in December and January. Ann Ford, a director of operations at the CQC, said it had received concerns from staff, patients and families about safety and staffing levels at the two hospitals. She said: 'During the inspection the concerns were substantiated, and this posed a significant risk to the safety of women, people using these services, and their babies as the staff shortages impacted on the timeliness of the care and support they received.' Inspectors found dirty areas on the maternity wards of both hospitals, unsafe storage of medicines, a 'blame culture' that left staff unwilling to raise concerns, and short-staffed units. On the neonatal wards, which care for the most vulnerable newborns, the CQC found they were understaffed and infants needing special care were being transported unsafely from one hospital to another. A freedom of information request by the BBC revealed in January that the NHS trust had identified at least 56 baby deaths that may have been preventable from January 2019 to July 2024, made up of 27 stillbirths and 29 neonatal deaths, which are deaths within 28 days after birth. In each case, a trust review group had identified care issues it considered may have made a difference to the outcome for babies. Sir Julian Hartley, the head of the CQC, was the chief executive of Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust for 10 years until January 2023, meaning he was in charge when many of the preventable deaths took place. The parents of a newborn girl who died after multiple failings at Leeds general infirmary in January 2020 questioned the CQC's ability to carry out an independent inspection, given Hartley's previous role. The regulator said it has 'robust policies in place to manage any conflict of interest'. Prof Phil Wood, the chief executive of Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust, said: 'These reports have highlighted significant areas where we need to improve our maternity and neonatal services, and my priority is to make sure we urgently take action to deliver these improvements.' He said the trust was improving whistleblowing procedures for staff and had recruited 55 midwives, leaving it 11 short of the national target. Wood added: 'I want to reassure every family due to have their baby with us in Leeds and any new parents that we are absolutely committed to providing safe, compassionate care.'
The Independent
17 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Maternity services in Leeds NHS hospitals downgraded by healthcare regulator
Two maternity services at NHS hospitals in Leeds have seen specific areas of care downgraded by the healthcare regulator for the first time since its founding. Services at Leeds General Infirmary and St James's University Hospital have dropped from an overall rating of good to inadequate after an investigation by the Care and Quality Commission (CQC) into reported issues with the quality of care. Unannounced inspections of maternity and neonatal services at the two hospitals, which come under Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, were made in December and January after whistleblowers, service users and their families raised concerns. It is the first time the CQC has given specific ratings for the sub-department categories of effective, caring and responsive for maternity care as a standalone service. Specific categories for 'safe and well-led' were downgraded to inadequate, while 'effective and caring' was rated as requires improvement and 'responsive' was rated as good. The CQC also rated the two hospitals' neonatal services as inadequate, as they were rated as standalone services for the first time. The regulator found breaches in several areas across the hospitals and their departments. Among the issues identified in maternity wards were dirty areas that put people at risk of infection, medicines being stored unsafely and issues around a 'blame culture' that meant staff stayed quiet about concerns. In neonatal services at both hospitals, leaders had not ensured adequate staff levels with the right qualifications and skills, while there was no designated private space for breastfeeding and equipment was not secured safely, the report said. Ann Ford, CQC's director of operations in the North, said: 'Prior to our visit, we had received a number of concerns from staff, people using the services and their families about the quality of care being delivered, including staff shortages in maternity at both hospitals. 'During the inspection, the concerns were substantiated, and this posed a significant risk to the safety of women, people using these services, and their babies as the staff shortages impacted on the timeliness of the care and support they received.' Ms Ford said staff in the hospitals were working hard to provide good care to patients but 'leaders weren't listening to them' when they identified areas of concern, while she said the fact investigations were not always carried out after incidents had taken place was 'concerning'. Babies were also being transferred between the two hospitals 'when it wasn't safe for them to do so', she added. The overall rating for Leeds General Infirmary declined from good to requires improvement and St James's University Hospital remains rated as requires improvement. The overall rating for the trust remains rated as good. The CQC has told Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to submit a plan showing what action it is taking in response to these concerns. Katie Warner, an expert medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell's Leeds office, said the findings would 'understandably cause significant anxiety for families'. 'Our clients have long-held concerns that previous CQC inspection ratings didn't accurately reflect the care on the ground families received, and things were worse than thought,' she said. 'Now that both services have been downgraded overall, our clients are now starting to feel listened to. However, the new ratings also raise serious questions about the standard of care being provided to families.' Professor Phil Wood, chief executive of the trust, said: 'These reports have highlighted significant areas where we need to improve our maternity and neonatal services, and my priority is to make sure we urgently take action to deliver these improvements. 'I want to reassure every family due to have their baby with us in Leeds and any new parents that we are absolutely committed to providing safe, compassionate care. 'We deliver more than 8,500 babies each year and the vast majority of those are safe and positive experiences for our families. But we recognise that's not the experience of all families. 'The loss of any baby is a tragedy, and I am extremely sorry to the families who have lost their babies when receiving care in our hospitals.' Professor Wood said the trust had 'fantastic teams of dedicated, compassionate staff in our maternity and neonatal services', and thanked those who had spoken 'openly and honestly' with the CQC during their inspections. He added: 'I recognise we need to be better at listening to our staff and acting on their concerns and I'm sorry we have fallen short on this. 'I want to reassure staff that they can speak up and will be heard in a supportive way.' The trust has already started making improvements to its services by recruiting 55 midwives since last autumn, while a further 35 newly qualified midwives are due to start later this year and more midwifery leadership roles have been appointed to support our clinical teams, the professor said.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Maternity services in Leeds NHS hospitals downgraded by healthcare regulator
Two maternity services at NHS hospitals in Leeds have seen specific areas of care downgraded by the healthcare regulator for the first time since its founding. Services at Leeds General Infirmary and St James's University Hospital have dropped from an overall rating of good to inadequate after an investigation by the Care and Quality Commission (CQC) into reported issues with the quality of care. Unannounced inspections of maternity and neonatal services at the two hospitals, which come under Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, were made in December and January after whistleblowers, service users and their families raised concerns. It is the first time the CQC has given specific ratings for the sub-department categories of effective, caring and responsive for maternity care as a standalone service. Specific categories for 'safe and well-led' were downgraded to inadequate, while 'effective and caring' was rated as requires improvement and 'responsive' was rated as good. The CQC also rated the two hospitals' neonatal services as inadequate, as they were rated as standalone services for the first time. The regulator found breaches in several areas across the hospitals and their departments. Among the issues identified in maternity wards were dirty areas that put people at risk of infection, medicines being stored unsafely and issues around a 'blame culture' that meant staff stayed quiet about concerns. In neonatal services at both hospitals, leaders had not ensured adequate staff levels with the right qualifications and skills, while there was no designated private space for breastfeeding and equipment was not secured safely, the report said. Ann Ford, CQC's director of operations in the North, said: 'Prior to our visit, we had received a number of concerns from staff, people using the services and their families about the quality of care being delivered, including staff shortages in maternity at both hospitals. 'During the inspection, the concerns were substantiated, and this posed a significant risk to the safety of women, people using these services, and their babies as the staff shortages impacted on the timeliness of the care and support they received.' Ms Ford said staff in the hospitals were working hard to provide good care to patients but 'leaders weren't listening to them' when they identified areas of concern, while she said the fact investigations were not always carried out after incidents had taken place was 'concerning'. Babies were also being transferred between the two hospitals 'when it wasn't safe for them to do so', she added. The overall rating for Leeds General Infirmary declined from good to requires improvement and St James's University Hospital remains rated as requires improvement. The overall rating for the trust remains rated as good. The CQC has told Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to submit a plan showing what action it is taking in response to these concerns. Katie Warner, an expert medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell's Leeds office, said the findings would 'understandably cause significant anxiety for families'. 'Our clients have long-held concerns that previous CQC inspection ratings didn't accurately reflect the care on the ground families received, and things were worse than thought,' she said. 'Now that both services have been downgraded overall, our clients are now starting to feel listened to. However, the new ratings also raise serious questions about the standard of care being provided to families.' Professor Phil Wood, chief executive of the trust, said: 'These reports have highlighted significant areas where we need to improve our maternity and neonatal services, and my priority is to make sure we urgently take action to deliver these improvements. 'I want to reassure every family due to have their baby with us in Leeds and any new parents that we are absolutely committed to providing safe, compassionate care. 'We deliver more than 8,500 babies each year and the vast majority of those are safe and positive experiences for our families. But we recognise that's not the experience of all families. 'The loss of any baby is a tragedy, and I am extremely sorry to the families who have lost their babies when receiving care in our hospitals.' Professor Wood said the trust had 'fantastic teams of dedicated, compassionate staff in our maternity and neonatal services', and thanked those who had spoken 'openly and honestly' with the CQC during their inspections. He added: 'I recognise we need to be better at listening to our staff and acting on their concerns and I'm sorry we have fallen short on this. 'I want to reassure staff that they can speak up and will be heard in a supportive way.' The trust has already started making improvements to its services by recruiting 55 midwives since last autumn, while a further 35 newly qualified midwives are due to start later this year and more midwifery leadership roles have been appointed to support our clinical teams, the professor said.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Baby boy died just hours after being born when ‘doctors failed to carry out basic life-saving tests'
A BABY died just hours after birth when hospital staff missed signs of a collapsed lung, a coroner has ruled. Little Benjamin Finch Arnold was born prematurely at St James' Hospital in Leeds in 2022. 1 Soon after birth, he developed serious breathing problems, which is not uncommon among babies born early. But crucial, basic life-saving tests were not carried out in time, an inquest into his death has found. It heard Benjamin could have survived if doctors had acted sooner to diagnose and treat a pneumothorax - a condition where air leaks into the chest and causes the lung to collapse. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT), which runs the hospital, said it was "extremely sorry that Benjamin died whilst in our care". Last month, coroner Oliver Longstaff ruled Benjamin's death was avoidable. Around three hours after he was born, Benjamin underwent a procedure to help his underdeveloped lungs breathe, during which his lungs collapsed. Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead less than eight hours after he was born. Mr Longstaff said staff "missed opportunity to consider the possibility" of a pneumothorax as the cause of his breathing problems early on in the process. This is because procedure policy "did not mandate a chest X-ray", which he said would probably have revealed it, the BBC reports. A further opportunity was also missed when the medic performing the procedure did not discuss it with the neonatal consultant involved, the coroner added. One sip of my porn star martini and I was in utter agony – my lung collapsed and I was gasping for breath The consultant would likely have asked if a pneumothorax had been ruled out as a cause of Benjamin's condition, the conclusion read. Mr Longstaff said: "No thought was given to the pneumothorax being a potential, and potentially reversible, cause of the collapse. "If they had been treated he would have, on the balance of probabilities, survived." Mr Longstaff has since issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report, aiming to prevent similar tragedies. He sent this report to the Health Secretary, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and other relevant bodies. He said maternity services in Leeds are dangerously split between two hospitals, with St James' lacking proper medical and paediatric support. Plans to bring all services under one roof have been delayed until at least 2030. There was also confusion over how the St James' unit is classified, with staff describing it as operating at a higher level than officially recognised. What is a collapsed lung? A pneumothorax - also known as a collapsed lung - happens when air has leaked out from the lung in to the chest cavity and chest wall. This causes the lung to collapse down and peel away from the inside of the chest. When someone who doesn't have any known lung problems develops a pneumothorax, this is called a primary pneumothorax. Usually the air has leaked from a blister on the surface of the lung which has been present from birth. A lung can also collapse as a result of conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or emphysema, as well as injuries to the chest wall that cause damage to lung surfaces. The condition most commonly occurs in smokers. The most common symptoms are sudden shortness of breath and chest pain, which may be sharp and worse with coughing and breathing. You may also experience a dry cough. If air has leaked out into the muscles and skin in your chest wall, you may notice a swelling and a 'bubble wrap' sensation if you press on your chest. Occasionally, if the leak of air has been very large, you may feel faint or light headed. A pneumothorax is usually diagnosed through an X-ray. Source: NHS The coroner warned that NHS guidelines for a breathing procedure called LISA are inconsistent, and questioned whether national rules for treating cardiac arrest in newborns are good enough. Finally, he said changes made by the Trust after Benjamin's death need to be properly explained. All organisations involved must respond by July 28. 'This cannot wait any longer' Earlier this year, Benjamin's parents described the care their son received as 'unacceptable'. "We are devastated by Benjamin's death," they said in a statement sent to the BBC. "The standard of care he received was unacceptable. "We urge Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust to take the prevention of future deaths report seriously. "We ask the government to urgently provide the funding for the new hospital building in Leeds. "This would allow all maternity and neonatal care to be provided from a single site and improve patient safety. "This cannot wait any longer." Dr Magnus Harrison, Chief Medical Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: 'I am extremely sorry that Benjamin died whilst in our care and I cannot imagine how difficult the last three years have been for his family. 'We have already made important changes, including ensuring a consultant neonatologist is available on each hospital site and involved earlier in complex procedures. 'While these changes do not undo the loss of Benjamin, we will continue to review and improve our services to provide the best possible care for our babies and their families. 'We appreciate the coroner's thorough investigation and are preparing a response to the recommendations to provide the assurances he is seeking.'
