Solicitor, Medical Negligence
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has been told to implement “essential and immediate actions” following concerns over patient safety in its maternity services. An independent review into conduct of the Trust was commissioned by the Government following the tragic case of Kate Stanton-Davies, who died just 6 hours after her birth whilst under the care of the Trust in 2009.
Our own medical negligence solicitors represented her devastated parents and we consider the report findings are a step in the right direction.
If you or your child has suffered as a result of hospital negligence, get in touch with our team to see how we can help.
Through the Ockenden Review, it was discovered that around 201 babies could have survived, had they received reasonable care.
As a result of poor maternity care, many mothers also sadly passed away due to their injuries.
The report demonstrates that there was simply not enough training and that deaths were not being investigated properly, to determine the cause and/or any trends.
A total of 1,815 cases were included in the review, ranging from incidents that happened between 1973 to 2020:
The Ockenden Report into Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust put forward a number of recommendations and has called for a greater emphasis on training, communication, and risk management. Donna Ockenden (Maternity Expert) has urged for the recommendations to be implemented at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust as soon as possible and recommendations should be given thorough consideration in all maternity units across England.
These recommendations cover 7 key areas which are:
Safety in maternity units across England must be improved. Neighbouring Trusts must work together so that local investigations into Serious Incidents have regional and Local Maternity System (LMS) oversight.
Creation of an independent senior advocate role whose duty is to report to the Trust and the LMS board. The advocate must be available to families at meetings with medical practitioners where concerns about maternity or neonatal care are raised, especially where there has been an adverse outcome. CQC inspections must include assessments of whether women’s voices are truly heard by the maternity service, with involvement of the Maternity Voice Partnership.
Regular training which must be validated by the LMS 3 times a year, twice daily Consultant led ward rounds, and ring-fencing training funding for maternity staff.
There must be clear pathways for managing women with complex pregnancies. These pathways should be developed by agreeing the criteria for those cases and/or referring them to a Maternal Medicine Specialist Centre.
Practitioners must ensure that women are risk assessed at every contact and appropriately, throughout their pregnancy.
There must be a dedicated Lead Midwife and Lead Obstetrician to focus on foetal monitoring throughout pregnancy.
All Trusts must ensure that mothers have access to accurate information which will afford them the opportunities to make informed choices about their place and chosen birth method.
A member of the team here at Simpson Millar said: “The families involved in this review have waited years for answers, and for justice to be done. While the initial recommendations appear to address some of the many, many concerns highlighted as part of the cases under review, the reality is that there is no one holding failing Trusts across the country to account when it comes to implementing such change. Until that happens, I’m afraid the struggle and heartache of so many bereaved parents have simply not been recognised, and they will take limited comfort that lessons have truly been learnt. As the review into the 1862 cases continues, we would urge the review committee to do more to ensure that all trusts publish their plans and a tangible timeline to provide much needed reassurance – both to those who have already suffered, as well as expectant mothers.”
You can read the full report here.
Following a joint investigation by the Independent and Channel 4 News which revealed repeated maternity failings at the Queen's Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital, an independent review led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden has been launched this week.
NHS maternity services include the care pregnant mothers receive during the antenatal period, as well as during the birth itself and postnatally. While the majority of NHS maternity services are delivered without incident, it’s not uncommon for mistakes to happened.
If you’re unhappy with the treatment you’ve received from the NHS, you can complain to the healthcare provider that treated you, such as a GP practice or hospital.
Ockenden, D. (2022). Ockenden review: Summary of findings, Conclusions and Essential Actions. [online] GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/final-report-of-the-ockenden-review/ockenden-review-summary-of-findings-conclusions-and-essential-actions.
Ockenden, D. (2022). Ockenden report - final. [online] Ockenden Maternity Review. Available at: https://www.ockendenmaternityreview.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/FINAL_INDEPENDENT_MATERNITY_REVIEW_OF_MATERNITY_SERVICES_REPORT.pdf.
Georgina is a Solicitor who works in our Medical Negligence team here at Simpson Millar, based in our Manchester office.
She is a committed and highly reliable Solicitor with a track record of supporting clients through the process of making a claim to achieve the best outcome for them. Georgina has experience working on many high-value cases with a range of circumstances and complexities from start to finish, where she reviews medical records, liaises with experts and gathers evidence in order to negotiate the best possible settlement for her clients.
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