Urgent safety measure took three years to implement

A key national policy change recommended by the inquest which led to the East Kent maternity inquiry will not be implemented until next February – more than three years after it was called for by a coroner.

The recommendation – that obstetric locum doctors be required to demonstrate more experience before working – was made in a prevention of future deaths report following the inquest into the death of seven-day-old Harry Richford at East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust.

The remaining 18 recommendations from the PFD report were requiring specific actions by the trust, rather than national policy makers. The trust says they have been implemented. 

However, NHS England and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have only in recent months produced guidance on using short-term locums in these services, and it will not come into effect until February.

When it does, it will require them to complete a certification of eligibility, demonstrating they have had recent experience in a number of clinical situations, including complex Caesarean sections. Middle-grade locums have until next February to gain the certificate.

The independent inquiry into maternity at the trust – prompted by Harry’s death – will report tomorrrow, Wednesday 19 October, and is expected to be highly critical of the trust, and of national efforts to make services safe over recent years. 

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Source: 18 October 2022