OUH maternity failings 'a problem no inquiry can solve'
Following an in-depth investigation by Channel 4 news into maternity care at John Radcliffe Hospital, run by the Oxford University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the health secretary has described the revelations as 'scandalous'.
Wes Streeting said there is a 'moral failure' in the system, with a 'cultural problem' across the NHS, where protecting its reputation and of trusts, 'sparing the blushes of executive leaders and clinicians, is prioritised over and above doing the right thing by patients. That is a problem no inquiry, however big, can solve'.
OUH is currently one of 14 hospital trusts being investigated as part of a rapid review led by Labour peer Valerie Amos.
MBRACE data from 2023 show that OUH had the worst stillbirth rate in the UK and has been graded red (at least 5 per cent higher than the average for comparable trusts) or amber since figures began to be analysed in 2017.
In June 2024, a group of 670 Oxfordshire families formed the Families Failed by OUH Maternity Services to campaign for an urgent investigation.
The group says that despite the Care Quality Commission rating OUH Maternity Services as ‘Requires Improvement’ in 2021, critical issues remain unresolved, in particular the trust's explicit policy until 2021 of denying requested Caesarean sections, contrary to Nice guidelines published in 2011.
In a statement issued yesterday in response to Channel 4's report, the interim CEO of OUH said he extended 'heartfelt apologies to any family who has not received the standard of care they deserve'.
Simon Crowther said: 'We work hard to listen with care and compassion to the concerns that have been raised, and we remain fully committed to learning from them.
'The Trust is participating openly and transparently in the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation led by Baroness Amos, and welcomes this opportunity to reflect, improve, and ensure that every voice is heard.
'Over recent years, we have taken meaningful steps to strengthen and improve our maternity services. This has included significant investment in our workforce, with the recruitment of 54 additional midwives. We have improved clinical training and strengthened leadership across the service.
'We have also invested in our estates and facilities to improve the environment in which care is delivered. We have made improvements to our bereavement services to ensure that families experiencing loss receive compassionate, specialist support.'
The Fieldfisher maternity negligence team specialises in supporting families who have experienced baby loss as well as catastrophic birth injuries to babies and mothers.
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