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Maternity unit in Wales with 'significant patient safety concerns' improves but not by enough yet, say inspectors

Significant improvements have been made at the maternity unit at Swansea's Singleton Hospital but more are needed to ensure mothers consistently receive acceptable care, health inspectors have said.

Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) had strongly criticised Swansea Bay University Health Board following a visit to the unit last September. The regulator highlighted "significant patient safety concerns" and said the health board had failed to ensure safe staffing levels for four years. It added that fewer than half the staff surveyed said they would be happy if their own family members received the same care. In response, the health board developed an improvement plan and invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in new midwives and maternity care assistants.

HIW noted improvements to the leadership structure but said some positions were still on an interim basis. The health board, it said, must monitor and improve levels and the skills mix of staff throughout the maternity unit. However, it also said that at the time of the inspection staffing levels for midwifery and medical staff were appropriate.

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Source: Wales Online, 31 July 2024

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Maternity unit found 'inadequate' after unannounced inspection

After concerns were raised regarding safety and quality of care for women and babies at the Jessop Wing maternity unit in a Sheffield Teaching Hospital, an unannounced inspection found the unit to be 'inadequate'. 

Whilst the Care Quality Commission found the maternity service had some good areas which included staff feeling respected and supported, there were concerns raised regarding midwife shortages and whether the staff had the knowledge and experience to run the service appropriately. 

As a result of the report, several actions were taken to impose conditions on the maternity unit which included proper training of staff, improving infection control and ensuring staff were able to follow the correct safety procedures regarding urgent or serious incidents and proper storage of medicines.

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Source: HSJ, 9 June 2021

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Maternity unit downgraded to ‘inadequate’ and handed warning notice

A trust has been issued with a warning notice after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) raised concerns about parts of its maternity services.

Following a focused inspection at University Hospitals Dorset Foundation Trust in September and November last year, the CQC has rated maternity services at Poole Hospital “inadequate”, down from “good”. The service was also rated “inadequate” in the safety and well-led domains. 

The CQC report warned that Poole Hospital’s maternity unit did not always have enough midwifery or medical staff to keep mothers and babies safe. The inspectors noted this had led to delays to induction of labour and caesarian sections, including emergency sections. 

A warning notice was also issued over concerns about the unit’s emergency call bell system, which worked “intermittently” due to poor wireless signal, and processes used to summon help during an emergency. The trust said it had since “taken action to address this risk”. 

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Source: HSJ, 10 March 2023

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Maternity unit death 'lessons not learned'

High-risk women at a maternity unit were not monitored closely enough and there was a "lack of learning" from a mother's death, inspectors found.

A Care Qualtiy Commission (CQC) report rated the unit at Basildon University Hospital as inadequate with "failings" found in six other serious cases. Inspectors carried out unannounced checks in June after a whistleblower voiced fears about patient safety.

The unit was criticised following the deaths of baby Ennis Pecaku in September 2018 and mother Gabriela Pintilie, 36, in February 2019.

The CQC previously carried out an inspection of the department the month Mrs Pintilie died and said the unit, which had once been rated outstanding, required improvement. Inspectors returned for the surprise "focused" inspection after being contacted by an anonymous whistleblower. The report found babies were born in a poor condition and then transferred for cooling therapy, which can be offered for newborn babies with brain injury caused by oxygen shortage during birth.

During their visit, inspectors found:

  • High-risk women giving birth in a low-risk area.
  • Not enough staff with the right skills and experience.
  • "Dysfunctional" working between midwives, doctors and consultants, which had an impact on the "increased number of safety incidents reported".
  • Concerns over foetal heart monitoring.
  • Women being referred to by room numbers instead of their names. 
  • A "lack of response by consultants to emergencies" resulting in delays

The CQC also referred to issues relating to the death of Mrs Pintilie, who was not named in the report, and said five serious incidents "identified the same failings of care".

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Source: BBC News, 18 August 2020

"This demonstrated there had been a lack of learning from previous incidents and actions put in place were not embedded."

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Maternity unit breached safety standards

A trust at the centre of a maternity scandal has been failing to meet Royal College standards in one of its maternity units, HSJ can reveal.

The duty anaesthetist for the maternity unit at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford has also had to cover the hospital’s primary percutaneous coronary intervention suite. This could mean no anaesthetist is available to carry out an emergency Caesarean if they are needed to treat a heart attack patient. 

This goes against Royal College of Anaesthetists’ guidelines, which say a duty anaesthetist must be “immediately available for the obstetric unit 24/7”. The guidelines add that where the duty anaesthetist has other responsibilities – because, for example, they work at a smaller maternity unit where the workload does not justify them being there exclusively – then “these should be of a nature that would allow the activity to be immediately delayed or interrupted should obstetric work arise”. 

The William Harvey unit is East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust’s major birth centre. The trust has around 6,500 births a year – the majority at the WHH – and was heavily criticised for poor maternity care in a report by Bill Kirkup last year.

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Source: HSJ. 17 July 2023

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Maternity staff facing extreme burnout over staff shortages and longer busier shifts, warn healthcare leaders

Maternity staff are facing extreme burnout during the pandemic as staff shortages and longer, busier shift patterns lead to the workforce becoming increasingly overwhelmed, healthcare leaders warned.

Senior figures working in pregnancy services told The Independent healthcare professionals are working longer hours, covering extra shifts around the clock, and spending more time on call to compensate for increasing numbers of employees taking time off work after getting coronavirus.

Staff say stress-related absences have reached “worryingly” high levels, with junior doctors and midwives “thrown into the deep end” due to having to fill in for colleagues.

Professionals argued the coronavirus crisis will lead to a rise in doctors, nurses and midwives suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues – raising concerns staff exhaustion could curb patient safety and standards of care.

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Source: The Independent, 31 January 2021

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Maternity staff faced racism from colleagues

Maternity staff at an NHS trust faced racism from their own colleagues, a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report said. The problem was identified at both the Luton and Dunstable (L&D) and Bedford hospitals during an inspection.

Some ethnic minority overseas staff told the CQC discrimination had become "normalised".

The regulator was alerted to concerns around the safety, culture, and management of the service by whistleblowers.

On the first day of the inspection, last November, the Luton and Dunstable Hospital's maternity unit was at full capacity and the trust had to divert new arrivals.

Low staffing levels also meant women and babies were not always kept safe.

The trust was issued with a warning to improve and maternity services at both hospitals have now both been rated as 'inadequate'.

At the L&D some staff told the inspectors they did not feel able to report instances of racism. 

Management acknowledged some parts of the unit had a "challenging culture". There were concerns racist incidents being reported to the trust would not be investigated in line with the trust’s values.

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Source: BBC News, 5 July 2024

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Maternity services may struggle if Covid-19 rates surge

Health professionals have warned that if Covid-19 rates continue to rise, Maternity services may struggle to keep running.

The Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have said home births have been cancelled amid ambulance shortages. 

Leah Deutsch, a senior registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Royal Free Hospital in north London, has told The Independent that some women were unable to have their home births during the first and second wave of the pandemic. 

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Source: The Independent, 21 July 2021

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Maternity services isolated from trust boards, watchdog warns

The safety watchdog has raised fresh concerns about NHS maternity services in a new review, warning that harm has been normalised within units that are working “in parallel” to trusts. 

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) published an exploratory review of maternity and neonatal services today, based on work it has now paused while a national investigation, ordered by health secretary Wes Streeting, takes place.

The HSSIB review – intended to scope out areas to look at in more depth – was based on discussions with stakeholders and 35 cases where safety concerns were raised.

It found the clinical risks in maternity services were not always identified and responded to, with harm being “normalised” and sometimes being reported in a way that minimised life-threatening situations. 

The harm caused was also compounded by the trusts’ action after the event, which was sometimes defensive and concerned about litigation and reputation management.

The safety watchdog was told maternity services have a “mini governance” and “work in parallel to report to the board”, resulting in less scrutiny. It also found they sometimes “feel like separate organisations”, and recommend this is explored in more detail nationally.

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Source: HSJ, 19 August 2025

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Maternity services at risk as midwives plan to quit over pandemic stress

Maternity services are at risk because demoralised midwives are planning to quit the NHS, healthcare leaders have warned.

A new report, carried out by the Institute for Public Policy Research, suggests 8,000 midwives may depart due to the “unprecedented pressure” of the coronavirus pandemic.

Researchers, who surveyed about 1,000 healthcare professionals from around the country in mid-February, discovered that two-thirds reported being mentally exhausted once a week or more.

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Source: The Independent, 31 March 2021

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Maternity services ‘overwhelmed with reporting requirements’, warns DHSC group

Government has been warned by its own advisory group that maternity services are being “overwhelmed with reporting requirements” which are hindering safety improvement work, according to documents seen by HSJ.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) set up the “independent working group” on neonatal and maternal care to oversee its response to Donna Ockenden’s spring 2022 inquiry report into Shropshire maternity services; and was then asked to do the same for key recommendations from Bill Kirkup’s report later that year on failings in East Kent.

The group is led by the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and made up of representatives of maternity staff.

It was asked particularly to look into advising on two Kirkup recommendations: first, on improving standards of professional behaviour and “embedding compassionate care”, including asking royal colleges and others how this can be done. Second, charging the royal colleges and others “with reporting on how teamworking in maternity and neonatal care can be improved, with particular reference to establishing common purpose, objectives, and training from the outset”.

However, a recent report from the working group, to the DHSC, released under the Freedom of Information Act, suggests the staff groups are arguing there is little scope to introduce more change.

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Source: HSJ, 18 June 2024

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Maternity service suspended twice in two days

A major teaching trust was forced to close its maternity services to new births twice in two days, due to unsafe staffing levels, HSJ can reveal.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust temporarily closed suites at St James’s Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary sites on 16 and 17 August.

All new patients were diverted to neighbouring hospitals as a result of the closures, which ran from 4pm on Saturday to 7am on Sunday, and from 2.30pm on Sunday to 6.30am on Monday.

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Source: Health Service Journal, 22 August 2025

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Maternity service safety threatened by staff vacancies and mandatory vaccination, warns trust

A trust has warned it could be forced to restrict maternity services due to a high midwife vacancy rate, and large numbers unvaccinated among the current staff.

The government has mandated that all patient-facing NHS staff must have had two covid vaccination doses from 1 April — meaning they will need to have received their first dose by 3 February. If not, they can be redeployed to non patient-facing roles, or face dismissal.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust’s board heard on Tuesday that the current numbers pose a “significant operational problem” amid efforts to encourage more staff to get both covid jabs before the government’s deadline.

The board meeting was told that, of the trust’s 7,550 staff, approximately 1,300 workers – or 17.4% – do not have a vaccination recorded against them, with the areas of greatest concern being women’s and children’s health, geriatric services, the emergency departments and some clinical support services.

At the board meeting, BHRUHT chief executive Matthew Trainer said: “The vacancy rate, plus the unvaccinated rate, would put us in quite a serious position.

“At the minute, for example, the Queen’s Birth Centre [at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, east London], I don’t think, has been open since I got here. I couldn’t see any circumstances in which it would reopen if we lost another chunk of midwives, for the foreseeable future certainly, in terms of vaccination.

“I think it would leave us in a position where we’d have to look at constraining services and focusing in on core [services], establishment being focused on the labour ward, looking at complex births and making sure we’re doing everything we possibly can to manage it as safely as possible.”

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Source: HSJ, 12 January 2022

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Maternity scandal trust was warned over staffing six years ago, report reveals

A trust being investigated over maternity care failings was urged six years ago to strengthen its neonatal staffing, HSJ can reveal.

An external review into East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust — conducted in 2015 and kept under wraps until now — said it had insufficient staffing, and that medical consultants felt a lack of engagement with senior managers.

The trust released the review yesterday after its existence became public for the first time earlier this month.

Last year, the trust was heavily criticised at the inquest of baby Harry Richford, who died seven days after he was born at the Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Hospital in Thanet. The Care Quality Commission is taking the trust to court over the case, and is the subject of an external inquiry.

Among the recommendations of the review, carried out by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, were that consultants and junior doctors covering the neonatal intensive care unit “should have responsibilities solely to that specialty”. Such a move would improve the quality and safety of the service, the review suggests. 

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Source: HSJ, 22 March 2021

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Maternity scandal review chair resigns after pressure from families

The newly appointed chair of a major review into poor maternity care in Nottingham has resigned following mounting pressure from families.

Julie Dent was appointed by the NHS just two weeks ago to lead a review into hundreds of cases of alleged poor care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

On 7 April, more than 100 families called for Ms Dent to decline the offer after they had previously urged NHS England to appoint Donna Ockenden, who chaired the Shrewsbury and Telford maternity inquiry.

In a letter to families on Wednesday, the chief operating officer of NHS England and NHS Improvement, David Sloman, said: “After careful consideration and further conversations with her family, Julie Dent has, for personal reasons, decided not to proceed as chair of the independent review of maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.”

The letter said that NHS England and NHS Improvement would still have “oversight” of the independent review, and that a new review process was being established.

Mr Sloman said he would write to families to inform them of the next stage in the review “shortly”.

The Nottingham independent maternity review was launched in July last year, and since then more than 500 families have come forward, the majority in the last two months.

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Source: The Independent, 4 May 2022

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Maternity scandal investigation has received nearly 200 cases, says family

Nearly 200 families have now reported experiences of poor maternity and neonatal care in East Kent, according to the family whose baby’s death sparked both an independent investigation and a court case against the trust.

Baby Harry Richford died seven days after his birth at the Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Hospital in Thanet in 2017.

Next week, the Care Quality Commission is taking East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust to court, alleging it failed to meet fundamental standards of care in the treatment of both Harry and his mother Sarah.

An independent investigation, led by Bill Kirkup, is also looking into maternity and neonatal services at the trust.

In a statement, the Richford family told HSJ  they had had numerous contacts from other families who had had bad experiences of maternity and neonatal care at the trust. “We have encouraged such families to come forward to the Kirkup Inquiry and now believe that the number of families is approaching 200,” they said.

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Source: HSJ, 16 April 2021

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Maternity scandal hospital fined for not triaging A&E patients fast enough

An NHS hospital which has faced repeated criticism by regulators for poor standards of care has been fined £4,000 for failing to assess A&E patients quickly enough.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust has been fined by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after patients were not triaged within 15 mimutes of arrival in A&E – in breach of conditions set by the regulator last year and a national target.

The care of emergency patients at the hospital trust, which is also facing an inquiry into poor maternity care, has been a long running concern for the watchdog which has rated the trust inadequate and put it in special measures in 2018.

Earlier this year the CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, Professor Ted Baker, wrote to NHS England warning of a “worsening picture" at the Midlands hospital and demanding action be taken.

The CQC said it had issued the fixed penalty notice to the trust because it failed to comply with national clinical guidance that all children and adults must be assessed within 15 minutes of arrival. It also failed to implement a system that ensured all children who left the emergency department without being seen were followed up.

After inspections in April 2019 and November 29 the CQC imposed seven conditions on the hospital over emergency care. The regulator said it was now clear the trust had not stuck to the conditions and had breached them both at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital.

Professor Baker said: "The trust has not responded satisfactorily to previous enforcement action regarding how quickly patients are assessed upon entering the urgent and emergency department."

“We have issued a penalty notice due to the severity of the situation and to ensure the necessary, urgent improvements are made. It is essential that patients are seen in a timely way when they arrive at an emergency department; failure to do so could result in deteriorating health, harm, or even death, which is why national guidelines exist and must be followed."

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Source: The Independent, 12 October 2020

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Maternity scandal families slam NHS over no confidence vote ‘silence’

Families impacted by the Nottingham maternity scandal say they have been left in “limbo” following silence from NHS England in response to their concerns over a major review, as 50 more come forward.

The review into failures in maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals Foundation Trust has now had 512 families come forward with concerns, up from 460 last month, and has spoken to 71 members of staff.

The update comes as families told The Independent they were yet to receive a direct acknowledgement or response to their warning on Monday that they had no confidence in newly appointed review chairwoman Julie Dent.

In response to a letter outlining her appointment, the families asked for Ms Dent to decline the offer and instead pushed for NHS England to ask Donna Ockenden, who is chairing a similar inquiry into Shrewsbury maternity care.

Former health secretary and health committee chairman, Jeremy Hunt, has now also challenged the NHS on Ms Dent’s appointment, and echoed the families’ call to ask Ms Ockenden.

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Source: The Independent, 29 April 2022

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Maternity scandal at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust prompts calls for action from the Health Secretary

A joint Channel 4 News and New Statesman investigation has revealed shocking allegations against Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, including that a baby declared stillborn was later found to be alive.

The two news organisations have been investigating John Radcliffe Hospital – one of the UK’s most prestigious research hospitals – and its maternity and neonatal unit for several months.

The investigation has heard from more than 20 families who say they have lost babies, had children born with severe disabilities, or suffered serious harm themselves, as a result of poor care at the Trust, with many women still searching for answers.

Amongst the numerous harrowing cases disclosed to the news organisations includes the testimony from Emma Cox, who gave birth to twins aged 17.

“At 24 weeks I went into spontaneous labour. They were born. I was told that one of them was stillborn and the other one was taken and resuscitated and taken to the neonatal unit. A short time later Lilly was brought back to me and they said the mortuary was unable to take her because she was actually alive”, said Ms Cox.

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Source: Channel 4 News, 5 November 2025

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Maternity safety campaigners head to Downing Street to demand action

More than 20 leading NHS doctors and experts back Baby Lifeline demand for safety training for maternity staff to cut £7m a day negligence costs

The Independent’s maternity safety campaign goes to Downing Street today as senior figures from across the health service deliver a letter demanding action from prime minister Boris Johnson.

Charity Baby Lifeline will be joined by bereaved families, Royal Colleges and senior midwives and doctors in Downing Street to hand in a letter calling on the government to reinstate a national fund for maternity safety training.

Baby Lifeline, which has also launched an online petition today, said the government needed to find £19m to support training of both midwives and doctors to prevent deaths and brain damage, which can cost the NHS millions of pounds for a single case.

The letter to Mr Johnson has also been signed by Dr Bill Kirkup, who led the investigation into baby deaths at the Morecambe Bay NHS trust and is investigating poor care at the East Kent Hospitals University Trust.

He said: “There have been real improvements in maternity services, but as recent events in Kent and Shropshire have shown only too clearly, much more remains to be done. The Maternity Safety Training Fund is badly needed.”

Sir Robert Francis QC, Chairman of the public inquiry into poor care at Stafford Hospital, who also signed, said: “The cost in lost and broken lives, not to mention the unsustainable financial burden and the distress of staff caused by these avoidable mistakes, is indefensible.”

Other signatories included former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and a number of senior maternity figures, charities and clinical associations.

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Source: The Independent, 6 March 2020

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Maternity investment ‘nowhere near good enough’, says inquiry lead

The expert tasked by government and NHS England to investigate maternity scandals has criticised ministers for failing to provide the funding necessary to address the problems.

Donna Ockenden said the funding provided so far was “nowhere near good enough” and progress made to improve services had been “extremely disappointing”.

After her investigation into the deaths and harm of 295 babies and nine mothers at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust, the Department of Health and Social Care endorsed recommendations to invest an additional £200m to £350m per year into maternity services.

IMs Ockenden suggests the recent impact of inflation, pay awards, and other rising costs means the full £350m is required.

According to NHSE an additional £165m per year has been invested since 2021, and the DHSC said this would rise to £187m from April.

Ms Ockenden, a senior midwife, told HSJ: “What I would like to say loud and clear to the government is that we are broadly 50 per cent of the way there in receiving the money we know is needed for maternity services. That is nowhere near good enough.

“There are workforce issues across [the whole team], whether that’s midwives, obstetricians or neonatologists, and it’s hardly surprising.

“The government must now do more – whilst we were grateful for the endorsement [of her report], the lack of progress in providing what is known to be the required funding is extremely disappointing.”

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Source: HSJ, 11 December 2023

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Maternity inquiry must include care culture

The father of a baby girl who died five days after she was born in a Leeds hospital has said he wants an independent inquiry into maternity services to focus on culture as well as potential negligence.

Freyja Green died in March 2019 after a traumatic birth at St James's University Hospital.

Her father, Damon Green, who is part of a campaign group calling for action over failings in maternity services run by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said his family had received poor bereavement care following Freyja's death.

While an inquest found no medical negligence, the trust has apologised for the bereavement care Freyja's parents experienced, adding it was "deeply sorry for the tragic loss".

In October, Health Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed there would be an independent inquiry into the trust's maternity units.

Mr Green said he felt the trust was more concerned with protecting its reputation than with bereaved families, and suggested there was a "culture of arrogance".

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Source: BBC News, 6 November 2025

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Maternity inquiry chair named in government U-turn

The health secretary has made a U-turn over who will lead an independent inquiry into "repeated maternity failures" at an NHS trust.

Wes Streeting has appointed Donna Ockenden, following a campaign by bereaved and harmed families, to lead the review into maternity and neonatal services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust.

Ockenden, a senior midwife, is currently leading the maternity review at Nottingham, which is the largest of its kind, examining about 2,500 cases of harm to mothers and babies.

In January 2025 a BBC investigation revealed the deaths of at least 56 babies and two mothers at the Leeds trust over the past five years may have been prevented.

Streeting first announced the inquiry into the West Yorkshire trust in October 2025, saying it was required to understand what had "gone so catastrophically wrong" at the maternity units at Leeds General Infirmary and St James's University Hospital.

Days later in a BBC radio interview, Streeting announced that Ockenden would not be the chair of the Leeds review.

In February, families and MPs urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to "intervene and appoint" the senior midwife immediately to head the Leeds inquiry.

Amarjit Matharoo, whose daughter Asees was stillborn in January 2024, said it "has been a long, drawn-out, and emotionally draining process to get the assurances that this investigation will be handled with the appropriate methodology and care that it needs".

Matharoo said they were "grateful that Wes Streeting has listened carefully" and felt "very lucky" to have Ockenden appointed.

Streeting thanked families for "their openness in recent discussions" and said he was "delighted to appoint someone so trusted" by bereaved and harmed families.

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Source: BBC News, 10 March 2026

 

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Maternity failures behind most big NHS payouts

More than three quarters of all multimillion-pound NHS medical negligence payouts are the consequences of failures in maternity care, new figures show.

In total, 364 patients or families received the highest-value compensation payments of at least £3.5 million after suing the NHS last year. Of those, 279 (77%) were maternity-related damages, according to figures from NHS Resolution. The large payouts have been offered to parents whose babies were stillborn or suffered avoidable life-changing disabilities or brain injuries.

Maternity makes up the bulk of NHS compensation payments. There were more than 10,000 clinical negligence claims brought against the NHS in 2021-22, with a total value of more than £6 billion. Maternity accounted for 62% of payments, or £3.74 billion.

When taking into account all cost of harm, including future periodic payments and legal costs, the cost of compensating mothers and their families rises to £8.2 billion a year. Analysis by The Times Health Commission found that this is more than twice the £3 billion spent by the NHS annually on maternity and neonatal services. Maternity claims have increased during the past decade amid a string of high-profile scandals and a shortage of midwives.

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Source: The Times, 12 June 2023

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Maternity failings account for the majority of the NHS’s £13bn spend on negligence

Maternity failings continue to account for the majority of billions of pounds spent by the NHS on clinical negligence claims, as an NHS body warns of the “devastating” consequences of poor care.

Two-thirds of the £13bn spent by the NHS in 2021-21 in respect of negligence claims was related to maternity care, according to new data.

A report released by NHS Resolution said it was “a stark reminder that although the NHS remains one of the safest healthcare systems in the world within which to give birth, avoidable errors within maternity can have devastating consequences for the child, mother and wider family, as well as the NHS staff involved.”

According to the figures, 1,243 maternity-related negligence claims were reported to the NHS in 2021-22, up from 1,571 in the previous year.

The data also shows that 200 claims relating to cerebral palsy or brain damage were received in 2021-22 – a decrease from the previous year, in which there were 250.

The organisation said that the growth in obstetrics claims over the past three years was due to trusts reporting cases of cerebral palsy and brain damage earlier through its early notification scheme, which was launched in 2017.

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Source: The Independent, 24 July 2022

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