Maternity Failings in Hospitals at risk of becoming “normalised”
Our maternity compensation claims team looks at a new report on maternity failings in the NHS.
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Investigations into Shrewsbury and Telford, and East Kent hospitals have found that poor maternity care is having devastating effects, with it leading to life changing injuries, and even newborn deaths.
Worryingly, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has said that the problems are not confined to these two hospitals. Sub-standard care is being seen elsewhere with the CQC review of 131 maternity units finding widespread issues with buildings, equipment, staffing and safety management.
Two thirds of maternity units in the UK have received rankings from the CQC of “requires improvement” or “inadequate”, meaning they are not deemed safe.
Nicola Wise, Specialist Care Director at the CQC, comments that preventable harm was at risk of becoming “normalised”, with the standards of maternity care dropping so low across so many hospitals. She also commented that maternity care is in need or “urgent reform”.
The report identified a number of issues including:
- Delays in caesarean sections as operating theatres were unavailable
- Triage delays with patients not being properly prioritised
- Problems with equipment, such as call bells not working
- Limited access to bathroom facilities, with patients being left lying in stained sheets
- Staffing shortages with junior staff taking on tasks suited to more experienced colleagues
- Bad leadership with a culture of blame
- Discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity and background, and in some services there was evidence of unfair treatment due to a patient’s ethnic background.
The Government has acknowledged that the report findings are simply unacceptable, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting commenting that the “findings are cause for national shame.” He also comments that the Government would be working with hospital trusts to make rapid improvements.
Oliver Thorne, a specialist in child birth injuries said:
“I am saddened to read the CQC report on the many failings in the maternity system in the UK. It simply isn’t acceptable that maternity care has become a postcode lottery, where the odds are simply not in your favour with so many maternity units being deemed to be unsafe. I have represented many clients who have been let down during pregnancy and child birth, and have seen firsthand the devastating effects these hospital failings can have.”
If you or your child have suffered as a result of a hospital failing and would like to speak to an expert in maternity compensation claims, then please contact Oliver Thorne for a free, no obligation discussion of your case.