Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust is the latest Trust put under investigation for a series of avoidable deaths and injuries in their maternity units. The enquiry, started in November 2021, mirrors the independent inquiries brought by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) into the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust and East Kent Hospitals University Trust maternity wards. In June, East Kent Hospitals were fined a record amount of £761,000 after indictment by the CQC for an avoidable death of a baby in 2017.
At least 20 separate families have informed the BBC that they want a completely independent inquiry into the maternity services at NUH. The Trust was accused of bad care and neglect in a joint investigation by The Independent and Channel 4 News in July 2021. The investigation, detailed below, discovered that between 2010-2020, 46 babies suffered brain damage, 19 babies were stillborn and there were a further 15 deaths at Nottingham University Hospitals involving mothers and babies. Freedom of Information requests uncovered 34 maternity investigations and 3 maternal deaths in the last 3 years.
The CQC rated the NUH Trust as inadequate in December 2020 due to issues including unsatisfactory management, reduced staffing levels and low standard of care. The CQC found there to be 73 vacant posts. This year NUH still has 70 full time vacancies for midwives despite at least 61 being required to keep mothers and babies safe.
The Trust, which has one of the largest NHS budgets in the UK, is criticised for making mistakes in care and having inaccurate or misplaced medical notes. The investigation will delve into births as far back as 2006 and examine how the Trust was run to identify actions for improvement.
The Independent details that the inquiry will be led by NHS manager Cathy Purt alongside Consultant Obstetrician Dr Teresa Kelly and Consultant Midwife Debbie Graham. Graham was involved in the original investigations into Shrewsbury and Telford NHS FT.
Furthermore, the Trust is scrutinised for not only failing to investigate serious incidents, but also recording watered-down accounts of the incidents to avoid scrutiny. “Avoidable deaths”, “missed opportunities” and “serious mistakes” echo through the investigation reports. Notably, the way NUH grade serious incidents will be under examination. The CQC found the Trust to be using its own internal sub-category called a “higher level incident” to categorise incidents that should have been reported nationally, therefore keeping the incidents internal.
The Independent has also uncovered that the CQC is considering criminal prosecution over the Trust’s failure to ensure safe treatment of mothers and babies.
If you or a loved one has been affected by maternity care shortfalls at the NUH, please feel welcome to contact our Clinical Negligence team who will be very happy to discuss your concerns with you. Call 0114 218 4000.
