Latest news with #maternitycare
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.
ABC News
8 hours ago
- Health
- ABC News
NSW parents welcome funding for midwife-led care after birth trauma inquiry
Parents involved in a landmark inquiry into birth trauma are welcoming an almost $45 million investment in maternity care described as the "gold standard". The NSW government has allocated $83 million to maternity care in the upcoming state budget. More than half, $44.8 million, will go towards expanding the state's midwife-led program, Midwifery Group Practice (MGP). The MGP funding will include an additional 53 midwife roles in regional and remote NSW, with improved training for clinicians in respectful maternity care and enhanced antenatal education for patients in the wider package. The announcement comes 12 months after the inquiry, widely described as a "me too" moment for birth trauma, handed down its final report. It attracted more than 4,000 submissions and held six hearings. The report recommended more access to continuity of care programs like the MGP, and more midwives. Natalie Webb lives in Tumbarumba and was one of the first women to go public with her experience of birth trauma, also giving evidence at the Wagga Wagga hearing of the inquiry. She said her traumatic birth, in which pain relief was withheld, could have been avoided with access to continuity of care. "That would have made a huge difference to me — having someone I knew and could trust and who could have advocated for [me] when I couldn't advocate for myself," she said. She still deals with the trauma three years on and hopes the funding will improve outcomes. "I'm not going to have another child now because it's too traumatic, and that's something my husband and I are going to have to deal with for the rest of our lives," she said. The president of Illawarra-based advocacy group Better Birth Illawarra, Sharon Settecasse, fought back tears as she described the announcement as "phenomenal". "We're overjoyed by this announcement … we're a bit speechless to be honest," she said. In the MGP, a woman sees the same midwife before, during and after birth. The Birth Inquiry's final report identified it as the "gold standard" of maternity care, calling for increased investment in it. It also recommended funding for other programs and services, including the GP obstetrician workforce. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) welcomed the funding, calling women's health an "underfunded" area. "Whilst investment in bolstering the midwifery workforce is valuable, RANZCOG emphasises that a multidisciplinary framework is essential to meet the complex needs of all women and birthing people," they said. NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the inquiry had "a huge impact" on him, and the funding decision was made off the back of advocacy he heard before and during. "Time and time again [I heard] continuity of care with a known midwife is really important, and I've also spoken to obstetricians who said that is an area where we need to improve," he said. "To be blunt, I was sick of reading about [birth trauma], I was sick of hearing about it, I wanted to use this budget to try and deal with some of the issues." He said the funding will begin to roll out "straight away" and new midwives should be on the ground within two years, depending on recruitment. The birth inquiry was announced off the back of a mass complaint about maternity care at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital, submitted by the Maternity Consumer Network (MCN) on behalf of 30 women. MCN founder Alecia Staines said today's funding was a win for the women who came forward. "Credit where credit is due; those initial women of Wagga Wagga were crucial and hats off to them," she said. "It's not easy, and it's such a brave thing they have done, and this is a lasting legacy and something they can be proud of that has come from their pain and suffering."
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
What next for troubled Nottingham NHS trust after £1.6m fine?
The NHS is largely funded by public money paid for through taxes and national February, one of the busiest and biggest NHS trusts in England was given a record £1.6m fine over maternity failings in connection with the deaths of three University Hospitals (NUH) NHS trust is already at the centre of the largest maternity review of its kind in the NHS, following hundreds of baby deaths and injuries. When it was fined at Nottingham Magistrates' Court, the judge said the trust was operating at a deficit of about £100m, and added there was "no money to pay any substantial fines without requiring the trust to make further cuts".District Judge Grace Leong considered other court judgements and guidelines for comparable offences before handing down the why was an already struggling, publicly-funded service given such a large fine, and what justice did the fine bring for the families the trust let down? The details of the case Adele O'Sullivan died on 7 April 2021 - just 26 minutes old - Kahlani Rawson died on 15 June at four days old and Quinn Lias Parker died on 16 July at two days old. NUH pleaded guilty to six counts of failing to provide safe care and treatment to the babies and their mothers, in a prosecution brought by the healthcare watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The court heard there were similar failings in all three cases, including a failure to expedite the delivery of the babies, not recognising serious conditions, communication issues and staff not being equipped to interpret anomalies in foetal heart monitoring. It was the second time the trust had been prosecuted by the CQC for maternity failings. In 2023, the trust was fined £800,000 over the death of Wynter Andrews, who died shortly after her birth at the Queen's Medical Centre in 2019. Until this year, that fine was the largest handed down for maternity failings. NUH prosecutions make up two of five maternity-related criminal prosecutions brought by the CQC. The watchdog gained powers under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated activities) Regulations 2014, in prosecution by the CQC is separate from any prosecution that could arise from a corporate manslaughter investigation, which was opened earlier this 2 June, Nottinghamshire Police said it was examining whether maternity care provided by NUH had been grossly negligent. How did the judge decide on £1.6m? In her sentencing remarks, District Judge Grace Leong said she would have to fix a "significant financial penalty" to mark the gravity of the offences, but also had to strike "a delicate balance"."I cannot ignore the negative impact that the fine will have on services to patients at a time when the NHS continues to face unprecedented challenges both in terms of insufficient funding, the backlog of patients waiting for treatment and the demands placed upon the trust's services from an ageing population," the judge was no ceiling to the level of fine the judge could meant the sentence was a matter of discretion, with the judge considering other sources of guidance - such as any High Court or Court of Appeal judgements - and other sentencing guidelines for comparable was reduced from a starting point of £5.5m, as the judge took into account the financial implications on the public body and its guilty pleas. How could the fine impact services? In response to the BBC, a statement from NUH chief executive Anthony May said: "We fully accept the findings from court, including the fine handed down by the judge. "The mothers and families of these babies have had to endure things that no family should after the care provided by our hospitals failed them, and for that I am truly sorry."We will work to ensure to minimise the impact of the fine on our patients, including ongoing efforts to improve our maternity services."NUH did not want to put anyone forward for interview, and did not wish to detail how the fine might impact services. Roy Lilley, former chairman of the old Homewood NHS Trust in Chertsey, Surrey - which later merged with Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust - and now an independent commentator on health service issues, said some impact on services would be "inevitable". "Clearly a chunk of money like £1.6m is going to have an impact on the trust's ability to operate."The day-to-day running of the trust is, of course, difficult enough with all the financial pressures but to have this kind of money taken out of its revenue balances, it makes it even more difficult," he said. Mr Lilley - who has not worked for NUH - added: "It will certainly slow down some of the plans that they had in terms of improvements.""Generally it has a very bad effect, a big impact on the trust's ability to respond," he said. Mr Lilley said it was possible for trusts to seek loans from the Department of Health of Social Care (DHSC) in the face of financial difficulty. The BBC understands while NHS trusts are expected to meet their legal and financial obligations - including prosecution fines - they can access loans in some instances. The trust's annual budget is £1.8bn. What does the fine mean to the families? The families affected by NUH's maternity failings have consistently called for the sentencing, solicitor Natalie Cosgrave - representing the parents of baby Quinn - said in a statement that the prosecution was "the only system that exists" to obtain Simpson, an associate clinical negligence solicitor who represented the families of Adele and Kahlani, told the BBC the trust's guilty plea was "some level of accountability, but it's only one part of a much bigger picture".To the bereaved families, it is individuals who should be held accountable, not just the trust as an organisation, Ms Simpson Simpson has also represented the families of Adele and Kahlani, as well as others, in civil claims against NUH. At each stage of the various investigations and proceedings they have endured - including inquests, internal reviews and court hearings - the families have called for more change and scrutiny. Ms Simpson said: "The judge was very clear that a fine is the only sentence that she can impose, and no fine is ever going to be enough when you've lost your child." During the sentencing in February, the earlier case of Wynter Andrews - who died 23 minutes after being born - was referenced several parents Sarah and Gary Andrews watched the hearing from the public gallery "as concerned parents", but did not know their daughter's case would be mentioned "quite so prominently". "I think for us it's important to highlight that this process is the only avenue that families have to get some accountability," he said."The judge is in a really difficult position, I feel, but we're counting pennies over babies' lives." Where does the money go? The fine is paid to HM Treasury - the government's finance ministry which controls public spending - as with any prosecution affected in this case will not receive any of the money from the trust was also told to cover prosecution costs of £67,755.23 and a victim surcharge of £ costs in this case will be paid to the CQC. The victim surcharge - which is imposed on offenders to ensure they hold some responsibility towards the cost of support victims and witnesses - goes to a general fund and not directly to those involved. That money provides a contribution towards Ministry of Justice-funded support services for victims and witnesses. The £1.6m fine is separate from the tens of millions of pounds the trust has paid out in damages for civil claims in relation to maternity care. What next for the trust? Nottinghamshire Police's investigation into the trust's maternity services - called Operation Perth - has seen more than 200 family cases referred to it so the separate maternity review by senior midwife Donna Ockenden is currently examining the testimony of more than 2,000 cases. The review began in September 2022 and closed to new cases at the end of May. Ms Ockenden's final report of findings is due to be published in June last week, the trust announced plans to cut at least 430 jobs in an attempt to save £97m in the next planned job cuts follow the government's instruction to all trusts to reduce the size of their corporate and support services, and were not as a result of the record fine, the trust said.
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.
