A leaked report into clinical malpractice at the maternity service of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has exposed a “toxic” culture and substandard care, which caused at least 42 babies and 3 mothers to die unnecessarily, and left more than 50 newborns with catastrophic brain injuries.
An inquiry into the Trust was ordered by the Government in 2017 following multiple concerns being raised by families. The inquiry is being carried out by Donna Ockenden, a maternity expert.
Whilst the full investigation continues, a leaked report suggests that there a frightening level of medical negligence has been uncovered. These include:
- Babies left brain-damaged because staff failed to realise or act upon signs that labour was going wrong.
- Inadequate monitoring of heart rates during labour and poor risk assessment during pregnancy, resulting in the deaths of some children.
- Babies left brain-damaged from bacterial infections or meningitis, which can often be easily treated by antibiotics.
- A baby whose death from group B strep could have been prevented after its parents contacted the Trust multiple times asking for help.
- Families being kept in the dark and struggling to get answers from the Trust, which continues to the present day.
- Bereaved families routinely being advised “they were the only family” and that “lessons would be learned”. The report said: “It is clear this is not correct.”
Adam Hodson, a clinical negligence lawyer who lives in Telford, said:
The interim report of Donna Ockenden is harrowing, but I fear that this is just the start. As the inquiry progresses, evidence of malpractice must be brought to light. Families need to know the truth about what happened surrounding their care and treatment, and they need to know why mistakes occurred.
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