Maternity and neonatal services “cannot operate on the margins” and deaths of babies and children must be investigated as a priority by boards, the health and social care secretary has warned NHS leaders.
Yvette Cooper, responding to the Thirlwall Inquiry’s report, said there had been a “serious failure of governance” at the Countess of Chester Hospital which meant oversight of neonatal care had been downgraded, with only adult deaths investigated.
The report recommended that all hospital trusts must have in place effective mechanisms for board-level monitoring of all deaths of children and babies by next April, and they must also have a clear route in place for staff to escalate concerning data trends or patterns.
Ms Cooper told the Commons: “There is a section of the report that refers to the way senior oversight of neonatal care had been downgraded in the reorganisation of the Countess Hospital.
“It includes the fact that the board and the medical director reviewed deaths within the hospital. However, it only covered adult deaths. And the report says, ‘the board did not receive any reports about the deaths of babies and children at any stage during the period the inquiry was considering.
“This was a serious failure of governance which no one on the board seems to have noticed. This is further evidence of the inadequacy of the structure which removed the voice of children and babies from the board and the lack of profile of paediatrics and neonatology".
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 15 September 2026
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment