Indigestible and illegible: the sorry state of board safety reports

A report highlights that maternity and neonatal services are often regular agenda items at board meetings, but the quality and quantity of information that is presented and the subsequent discussion (or lack thereof) doesn’t lead to effective oversight.

The shocking and distressing stories emerging from the Lucy Letby case in August 2023 shone a light on the “cover-up culture” in the NHS. Although deliberate harming of babies is thankfully exceedingly rare, some of the issues raised in this case echo concerns that trusts are failing to react to signs of poor performance in maternity and neonatal services.

Responsibility ultimately lies with trust boards which have a statutory duty to ensure the safety of care. However, the actions (or inactions) of leadership have come up frequently in inquiries and reviews.

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Source: HSJ, 7 November 2023