Government publishes report into failings at Morecombe Bay NHS Trust

The government have published their report into failings at Morecombe Bay NHS Trust maternity services between 2004-2013.

The report says the maternity department at FGH (Furness General Hospital) was dysfunctional with serious problems in 5 main areas:

• Clinical competence of a proportion of staff fell significantly below the standard for a safe, effective service. Essential knowledge was lacking, guidelines not followed and warning signs in pregnancy were sometimes not recognised or acted on appropriately.
• Poor working relationships between midwives, obstetricians and paediatricians. There was a ‘them and us’ culture and poor communication hampered clinical care.
• Midwifery care became strongly influenced by a small number of dominant midwives whose ‘over-zealous’ pursuit of natural childbirth ‘at any cost’ led at times to unsafe care.
• Failures of risk assessment and care planning resulted in inappropriate and unsafe care.
• There was a grossly deficient response from unit clinicians to serious incidents with repeated failure to investigate properly and learn lessons.

Cathy Warwick, chief executive of The Royal College of Midwives, says: “This is a highly critical report that outlines failures in the trust and elsewhere. It also provides a blueprint for positive change in the future. We will commit wholeheartedly to improving safety for women, their babies and their families through working with others to implement the report’s recommendations.”

Dr David Richmond, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, says: “We will continue to work closely with our clinical colleagues to ensure that we prevent avoidable harm by developing better risk assessment protocols, promoting stronger professional relationships and multidisciplinary teamworking in maternity services. We welcome the statement today of a review of NHS maternity services, outlined by NHS England and which will report by the end of the year.”

Read the full report here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/morecambe-bay-investigation-report-published