Efforts to improve maternity care nationwide will be intensified following a damning review which revealed that 45 babies could have survived with better care.
The Minister for Women’s Health, Maria Caulfield, expressed her deep apologies for the suffering endured by families due to failures at East Kent hospitals.
She will head a new oversight committee that will bring together leading experts from the NHS and maternity groups to enhance standards.
In her official response to Dr Bill Kirkup’s review of care at East Kent NHS Hospitals Trust, Ms. Caulfield acknowledged that “many women, their babies, and families were let down in their time of need”.
She further added, “I would like to express my gratitude to the families who participated in the investigation. Your willingness to share your experiences, even though they were distressing for many of you, will facilitate the learning and improvement that can be achieved through these recommendations.”
“I deeply regret the pain you have gone through, and I hope that the actions being taken as a result of your involvement in the investigations offer some solace during this process.”
Dr. Kirkup’s report, published in October last year, identified a “clear pattern” of “suboptimal care that caused significant harm” in East Kent.
The report also highlighted the failure to listen to affected families and stated that the trust had attempted to cover up the extent and systematic nature of these issues.
East Kent is among several trusts that have been scrutinized for inadequate maternity care in recent years.
Similar major service failures were also discovered at Morcambe Bay, Shrewsbury, and Telford trusts, while an investigation into hospitals in Nottingham is ongoing.
Dr. Kirkup’s report cautioned that such cases could no longer be viewed as isolated incidents, affirming that “If we do not approach this differently, there will be more.”
He urged the NHS to address the “deep-rooted problems” associated with identifying and improving underperforming units.
Furthermore, the Government has requested assistance from institutions such as the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives to support its endeavors in promoting and enhancing team collaboration in healthcare settings.
Dr. Kirkup has been appointed to lead efforts in ensuring that teams in maternity and neonatal care can work together more effectively to provide high-quality and compassionate care.
In addition, Ms. Caulfield will chair a local forum in East Kent that will bring together representatives from the NHS, the Care Quality Commission, and local MPs to provide updates on the progress made.
She stated, “Every woman deserves to have confidence in the care she and her baby receive.
“This government will continue to invest in the maternity workforce and collaborate with the NHS to raise standards.”
Dr. Matthew Jolly, the National Clinical Director for Maternity and Women’s Health at NHS England, welcomed the Government’s response to Dr. Bill Kirkup’s report and emphasized that the inadequacies in care for women, babies, and their families at East Kent Hospital should not be allowed to persist.
He added, “NHS England has assigned an improvement director and a senior advisor to the trust… In March, we published a delivery plan for maternity and neonatal care outlining the NHS’s efforts over the next three years to make care safer, more personalized, and more equitable for all women, babies, and families.”