Maternity cases at Nottingham hospitals to be reviewed

Plans for a review of maternity services at two hospitals are being drawn up, the government has confirmed.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the "terms of reference" for an independent probe into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) are being outlined.

It comes after an investigation found dozens of babies died or were left with serious injuries.

One mother said the affected families must be involved in the review.

The DHSC said NHS England and the Nottingham clinical commissioning group were "finalising the terms of reference for an independent review", which would go back to 2016 to "establish whether there was effective reporting, investigation and monitoring of serious incidents".

The chief executive of the hospital trust apologised to the families "who have not received the high level of care they need and deserve".

Maternity services at Nottingham City Hospital and Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) have been the focus of rising concern in recent years.

The Care Quality Commission rated both hospitals' units as "inadequate", with poor management, low staffing and the standard of care among the problems highlighted.

Earlier this month, Channel 4 News and the Independent reported 46 babies suffered brain damage and 19 were stillborn in Nottingham between 2010 and 2020.

More than £91m in damages and costs were paid out, according to the report.

Michelle Welsh, a Labour member of Nottinghamshire County Council's health scrutiny committee, told BBC Radio Nottingham she felt "fobbed off" by midwives during her "high-risk" pregnancy at Nottingham City Hospital, which ended in an emergency Caesarean.

While welcoming the review, she said NUH has "a responsibility" to ask parents to come forward and share their experiences.

"I've been contacted by a number of families that have had quite traumatic experiences prior to 2016, and as these cases have come to light have actually found the strength to talk about it," she said.

"I think we should encourage that, and NUH has a role with regards to that.

"I don't think any stone should be left unturned."

Gary and Sarah Andrews, whose daughter Wynter died 23 minutes after being born following what a coroner described as "a clear and obvious case of neglect", said the plans for "yet another review" must involve parents.

"We are deeply concerned this review and the terms of reference have as of yet failed to involve the families affected," they told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"This is by all accounts an internal review that has been commenced and as such we are concerned it is not independent."

Health minister Nadine Dorries is due to meet with Nottingham MPs - who have backed calls for a public inquiry - to discuss the planned review.

Tracy Taylor, NUH chief executive, added: "We are making significant changes including hiring and training more midwives and introducing digital maternity records. We will continue to listen to women and families, whether they have received excellent care or where care has fallen short; it is their experiences that will help us to learn and improve our services.

"Our teams are doing everything possible to make rapid improvements to maternity care and to learn the lessons from past failures."

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