New maternity investigation to look at 10 ‘worst services'
Leeds and Sussex maternity services will be examined as part of the investigation, officials confirmed after Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced a national investigation into maternity services.
There have been a series of maternity scandals in recent years, with official reviews launched into a number of services including those in Nottingham; East Kent; Shrewsbury and Telford and Morecambe Bay.
Officials said these independent reviews found similar failings in compassionate care – including the failure to listen to women, concerns over safety and issues with leadership and culture.
Bereaved families in other areas have also called for their own inquiries, including families in Sussex, Leeds and Oxford.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the new investigation will consist of two parts.
The first will investigate up to 10 of the most concerning maternity and neonatal units, including Sussex, in the coming weeks to give affected families answers as quickly as possible, according to the Department of Health.
The second will be a 'system-wide' look at maternity and neonatal care, uniting lessons from past maternity inquiries to create one clear set of actions designed to improve national NHS care.
Officials have confirmed there will be local reviews into services in Leeds and Sussex, with the other areas to be confirmed 'shortly'.
The Department of Health and Social Care said that during the next month NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey and chief nursing officer Duncan Burton will meet the trusts of greatest concern, including Leeds, Gloucester, Mid and South Essex and Sussex.
It is expected that during these meetings the top NHS officials will 'hold them to account for improvement'.
Wes Streeting said he would be looking at individual cases of families in Leeds and Sussex who suffered from NHS failures.
Speaking at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists conference in London, he said: 'We'll bring in a package of measures to start taking action now, increasing accountability across the board, and bringing in the cultural change we need to see.
'Within the next month, the NHS chief executive, Jim Mackey, and the chief nursing officer, Duncan Burton, will meet the trusts of greatest concern, including Leeds, Gloucester, Mid and South Essex and Sussex, to hold them to account for improvement.'
He added: 'I'm currently discussing with Leeds families the best way to grip the challenges brought to light in that trust by their campaigning, reports in the media and the latest CQC report, and I'll be ordering an investigation into nine specific cases identified by families in Sussex who are owed a thorough account of what happened in those cases.'
A spokesperson for Families Failed by OUH Maternity Services – a campaign calling for an investigation into maternity services at Oxford University Hospitals – said: 'We are pleased to see Wes Streeting launch a national investigation into maternity services – it is vital and long overdue.
'We urge him to include Oxford University Hospitals Trust as one of the 10 units.
'Over 500 Oxfordshire families who have suffered serious harm in the care of OUH maternity services have joined together to raise awareness of the devastating failures happening in the trust – highlighting the need for an investigation.'
The Nottingham Affected Families Group said in a statement: 'Nottingham families have had their lives destroyed by the very people who they trusted during their most vulnerable time of life.
'Our lives stopped one day, and we will forever be broken. We will forever have to live with the harm, trauma, and the many missing children, mothers and siblings. In no other walk of life would this be acceptable without some form of accountability.
'We welcome the unique chance to work face-to-face with Wes Streeting on these issues. However, we believe a rapid review will only reinforce the need for a public inquiry, as the current plan lacks enforceable actions for real improvement.'
Emily Barley, spokeswoman for the Maternity Safety Alliance, added: 'The systemic problems in maternity care are serious, enduring, and resistant to change, and can only be fixed by a statutory public inquiry. We urge Wes Streeting and Keir Starmer to order one without any further delay.'
The NHS paid out £2.8 billion in compensation last year, with 41% of all payouts related to maternity care, according to data obtained by the Liberal Democrats from the House of Commons Library which was published earlier this year.
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