Government orders investigation into failing maternity services
The Government has ordered a rapid investigation of up to 10 failing maternity services to ‘provide truth and accountability for impacted families and drive urgent improvements’.
Wes Streeting has ordered a rapid investigation of up to 10 failing maternity services to ‘provide truth and accountability for impacted families and drive urgent improvements’.
The Health and Social Care Secretary said yesterday he had acted after meeting families and listening to their “deeply painful stories of trauma, loss and a lack of basic compassion - caused by failures in NHS maternity care that should never have happened”.
He also announced a range of other measures.
Read the full summary below:
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The first part of the investigation will look at up to 10 of the most concerning maternity and neonatal units. Only University Hospitals Sussex was named in the announcement.
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The second part will involve a system-wide look at maternity and neonatal care and bring together lessons from past inquiries to create a single list of actions.
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The investigation will report by December this year.
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The investigation will be independent but there are no details yet on who will lead it.
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Wes Streeting will chair a new National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, to be made up of a panel of experts and bereaved families to help shape new actions.
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NHS England’s Chief Executive and Chief Nursing Officer will visit leaders of some trusts in the next month for ‘challenging conversations’ about culture, safety and inequalities.
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An anti-discrimination programme will be rolled out to tackle inequalities in care for Black, Asian and other underserved communities.
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A new digital system will be rolled out to all maternity services by November to flag potential safety concerns in trusts and support rapid, national action.
Last November the CQC reported findings of its national maternity review which should inform which trusts are put under greater scrutiny, as well as information from bereaved families.
Healthwatch will bring you more details as the Department of Health and Social Care makes these available.
