Maternity unit rated ‘inadequate’ as trust faces scrutiny over horrific stillbirth

An Essex maternity department has been served with further warnings by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and again rated “inadequate”.

Serious concerns were raised about the services at Basildon University Hospital in the summer, after several babies were found to have been starved of oxygen and put at risk of permanent brain damage.

Despite the CQC issuing warning notices to Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust in June 2020, a subsequent visit on 18 September found multiple problems had persisted.

The CQC’s findings at Basildon included:

• the service was short-staffed and concerns were not escalated appropriately
• multidisciplinary team working was “dysfunctional”, which sometimes led to safety incidents
• doctors, midwives and other professionals did not support each other to provide good care.

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Source: HSJ, 19 November 2020