BREAKING: Shrewsbury maternity inquiry report confirms at least 295 babies died or suffered brain damage as a result of avoidable poor care at Shrewsbury Hospital trust. 9 mothers died as a result of avoidable care. 1,486 families affected, 1,592 incidents.
Inquiry chair @DOckendenLtd concludes: “What is astounding is that for more than two decades these issues have not been
challenged internally and the Trust was not held to account by external bodies. This highlights that systemic change is needed locally, and nationally."
She highlights widespread failings including "...a culture of reluctance to perform caesarean sections resulted in many babies dying during birth or shortly after their
birth."
I am FURIOUS to read this today. The trust twice dismissed the complaints of @hergehound5 over the death of baby Kate...and today we read there were 2 other similar cases months apart
Shrewsbury inquiry reveals a "them and us" culture between midwives & obstetricians on wards at Shrewsbury.
Families continued to contact the inquiry in 2020 and 2021 with concerns about maternity care with similar themes seen on older cases. This is "cause for grave concern"
The inquiry team found that 40% of stillbirths it examined did not have a trust investigation. 43% of neonatal deaths were not investigated. #ockendenreport#Shrewsbury
Survey results from 84 staff who responded to questions from #ockendenreport team
Ockenden says: "We are very concerned that in very recent weeks, staff currently working at the trust have contacted the team to express their concerns about maternity services at the trust in the here and now."
Very concerning culture on the wards at #Shrewsbury right up the last few months...
On caesarean sections the inquiry says women and babies were harmed or died due to efforts to avoid them. One staff comments: "they were always trying...for a normal birth all the time" #Shrewsbury#ockendenreport
"Patients cannot demand a caesarean section" - how families pleaded and begged for their concerns to be heard
#ockendenreport finds "many examples of injudicious use of oxytocin...despite evidence of deterioration of the baby's condition." #Shrewsbury
#ockendenreport finds widespread examples of "unkind words, swearing, sarcasm and bullying towards women as well as unkind treatment of colleagues" #Shrewsbury
The CEO of the #Shrewsbury trust responds to #ockendenreport She has been totally silent since getting the job 2 years ago. Donna Ockenden delivered a damning assessment that was right up to present day:
"Common obstetric conditions were not recognised or not managed in line with established guidelines" #ockendenreport#Shrewsbury
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Hospitals have been told to stop using caesarean section rates as perfomance targets amid fears for the safety of women and babies 🧵1/9 thetimes.co.uk/article/ec333a…
In a leaked letter to trusts this week @TeamCMidO & @matthewcjolly told maternity services to stop using the metric adding: "We are concerned by the potential for services to pursue targets that may be clinically inappropriate and unsafe in individual cases.” 2/9
The letter follows repeated maternity scandals where women and babies died or were harmed in part because of a focus on so-called 'normal birth'. A final report into the Shrewsbury scandal is due next month 3/9
🚨 An NHS doctor has been arrested on suspicion of child sexual assault whilst working as an A&E clinician. Detectives have identified 9 potential victims, all of whom were under 18. He refutes the allegations 1/7 thetimes.co.uk/article/e8012b…
Tonight @thesundaytimes reveals a major incident investigation has identified concerns in at least 109 patients examined by the doctor.
A 2018 police investigation, following concerns about the examination of a patient @UHNM_NHS was dropped due to a lack of evidence. 2/7
The medic returned to work in Stoke in 2019. Staffordshire Police said it was reviewing the 2018 investigation and had self-referred itself to the police watchdog the IOPC.
Unable to move and with her baby crying out of reach, Neya Joshi was alone for hours on an understaffed maternity ward, forced to beg just for a glass of water.
“It was awful, I was so helpless and so desperate, and no one was interested in helping me. I have never felt fear like it," Neya told @thesundaytimes
Despite promises to recruit more midwives, staffing levels are in decline across England for the first time in years 2/7
Data from 122 NHS trusts in England shows maternity units were forced to shut their doors to women in labour more than 323 times in 2020-21, for the equivalent of 679 days, often due to a lack of staff or beds #maternitysafety 3/7
Later this week, thousands of NHS staff will start getting dismissal letters because they haven't had a Covid jab. But with chronic workforce shortages, there are real fears for #patientsafety. Now @thesundaytimes has learned hospitals may be allowed to break the rules 🧵1/5
In some areas, like maternity, there are real worries that dismissing unvaccinated staff could leave services unsafe and breaching existing regulations on safety. Trusts have been told to inform the watchdog @CareQualityComm if that's the case, but what happens then? 2/5
Now the CQC has made clear its view to @thesundaytimes - the new rules on unvaccinated staff do not supersede existing safety regulations - so if NHS bosses decide after a risk assessment that its more unsafe to dismiss unvaccinated staff, the regulator won't take action. 3/5
Also confirmed: @BlackpoolHosp has declared a critical incident due to high demand, staff absences and "rapidly rising rates of Covid-19" leading to increased admissions #livingwithcovid
NEW: @UHP_NHS has today declared a critical incident. Message to staff warns of 15 ambulances waiting and no space in A&E and 475 Covid staff absences. Full details:
Exclusive: A wave of staff absences is crippling some NHS services. @thesundaytimes reveals details of 40 hour waits in A&E, operations delayed and ambulance services on the brink with 50k staff off due to Covid: thetimes.co.uk/article/115e41…
On Friday NHS Emgland released absence data up to Dec 26 but the latest stats shared with @thesundaytimes shows Covid-related absences reached 40,325 on Dec 31, an increase of 62% in 5 days. This included 19,143 nurses and midwives and 2,120 doctors.
At Lewisham Hospital in southeast London on Wednesday half of the unit’s nurses were off sick, prompting the trust to close some cubicles and redeploy staff from other parts of the hospital to keep patients safe. It has also cancelled less urgent operations.