Cwm Taf maternity: Mothers to be told of service failings

Parents affected by serious failings in maternity units at a Welsh health board will be told of the findings of an independent investigation this autumn.

Ten more cases at units run by Cwm Taf Morgannwg in the south Wales valleys have been found by a review, bringing the total number to 160.

Maternity services at hospitals in Merthyr Tydfil and Llantrisant were placed in special measures last year.

The latest report said services were coping "remarkably well".

Failings at the maternity units were discovered after an investigation by two Royal Colleges, which found mothers faced "distressing experiences and poor care" between 2016 and 2018.

The services at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant and Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil were also found to be "extremely dysfunctional" and under extreme pressure.

A number of recommendations were set to make the service safe for pregnant women and those giving birth at the hospitals.

The Welsh Government then appointed the Independent Maternity Services Oversight Panel (IMSOP) to look back at cases, including neonatal deaths.

Mick Giannasi, the chairman of IMSOP, said: "In the early autumn, we will start writing to mothers to say we have reviewed your care and this is what we found.

"That will be quite distressing for the women because they will have to revisit all those things again.

"But it's going to be a difficult period for staff as well because we know that the Royal Colleges review was very difficult for staff - some of the messages that they had to hear were very challenging and those things may be played out again."

Mr Giannasi said that despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, maternity services were coping "remarkably well".

"They are on track, they are doing well and we are really pleased with what they've achieved in this period because of the circumstances.

"There's still work to be done, there are still 20 recommendations to deliver, so those are quite significant."

Cwm Taf Morgannwg's new chief executive Paul Mears has said the health board is not "out of the woods yet" despite improvements.

"I know that there are still families who feel very hurt and very angry about what went on, and I want to make sure that we are doing everything we can do to support them on an ongoing basis, and also help them," he said.

"Hopefully, they'll see how we are trying to improve and make the service better."

The first public-facing report into the maternity services will be published later this year.

Greg Dix, executive director of nursing, midwifery and patient care at the health board, said: "We welcome this latest report from IMSOP which clearly demonstrates our commitment to putting things right, and the very significant improvements that have been made in our maternity services.

"However, this is not a time for complacency. This is a journey of improvement and recognise that we still have some ground to cover.

"This has been an experience of learning from past mistakes, but I am confident that we are on our way to delivering a maternity service of the very highest standard which is exactly what we expect for our communities."

A solicitor who has represented some of the families involved welcomed the fact 53 out of 70 recommendations had been delivered, but called for improvements to complaints procedures to be prioritised.

"Having an effective process to manage complaints and concerns is the key to acting quickly when treatment is not being delivered as it should - as has been highlighted in the public health inquiries, such as Mid Staffordshire and Morecambe Bay," said Mari Rosser, of Hugh James Solicitors.