A study has shown that nearly two-thirds (or five) of five NHS maternity units offer unsafe care.
According to the Care Quality Commission, eighty-three of 193 were rated as inadequate or needing improvement during the most recent inspection.
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The shocking 41 per cent figure was revealed after last week’s Ockenden report showed hundreds of families suffered traumatic births at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, Shrops, between 2000 and 2019.
Two maternity units were not rated “outstanding”Safety: 111 “good”, 72 “requires improvement”Eight “inadequate”.
Unit names weren’t given. Regulators pointed out the problems with low staffing, poor work relationships and failure to learn from previous mistakes.
The Ockenden Report was preceded by the Ockenden Commission, which regulates England’s healthcare and health care. It warned that there had to be improvements in safety for maternity services. “too slow”.
It was said: “Safe, high-quality care should be the minimum expectation for women and babies.”
Medical negligence lawyer Eleanor Giblin said: “Sadly what happened at Shrewsbury and Telford doesn’t seem to be an isolated incident.
Maternity scandals stretching back 20 years point to widespread problems nationally.”
Bowdler Lanyon in Shropshire said that it had an “influx of inquiries”This week, from families
In East Kent and Nottingham, reviews are ongoing.
According to the NHS, it is “committed to providing the safest possible maternity services”.
£12bn to slash wait for ops and tests
MILLIONS of NHS patients will get quicker tests and ops under plans to spend the £12billion-a-year National Insurance levy on frontline care.
The record healthcare funding will provide nine million checks, scans and operations — a 25 per cent rise on the three years before the pandemic.
Yesterday, Sajid Javid (Health Secretary) stated that 160 community-based diagnostic centres would be opened by 2025.
New surgical hubs will reduce waiting times and improve patient care. Additional funding will be used to expand operating theatres, and diagnostic centres for the treatment of cancer.
Mr Javid stated: “This will clear Covid backlogs, help to reduce waiting times and deliver millions more checks, scans and operations.”