Sadly, another maternity scandal has hit the headlines this week.
We’re previously spoken on the issue of large-scale maternity negligence in the past with the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust scandal. An inquiry into that Trust held that they were responsible for more than 200 baby deaths and identified many failings such as failing to learn from mistakes, failing to properly monitor mothers and babies during birth, and failing to perform C-sections.
Yet again the very same failings have been identified, this time in Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust, with a staggering 1,700 possible harm and /or injuries to newborns and their mothers. These numbers are set to make this the biggest maternity scandal in the NHS.
Now, the 1,700 possible instances of harm are to be investigated further. The independent midwife leading the investigation, Donna Ockenden, is all too familiar with these cases as she also led the inquiry into Shrewsbury and Telford.
Alarmingly, Sky News reported that they had obtained a document in 2010, called Pathways to Success: A Self Improvement Toolkit, stating that there was a general belief amongst clinicians that aimed for caesarean rates of less than 20% and that midwifes were acting as ‘musketeers’ in an attempt to drive drown caesarean rates and ‘pursue natural births at any costs.’
It is vital that parents to be are listened to and their concerns not dismissed. This was recognised by the Department for Health and Social Care which stated it is vital we focus on safe personalised care across maternity services where the voice of the mother is heard.
Our medical negligence team at Farleys are frequently contacted with sad stories of births gone wrong. This recent article is a reminder that this problem is not going away. If you have experienced negligent treatment during your pregnancy, whilst giving birth, or during aftercare, you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation. For a confidential discussion about your case, please contact us on 0845 287 0939, get in touch by email, or use the online chat below.