Maternity services at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals rated inadequate

A report by the Care Quality Commission has said that mothers and babies are being left at risk by failings at one of England’s largest hospitals trusts, stating that the trust lacked enough properly qualified staff to keep women and babies “safe from avoidable harm”.

 

Despite a warning to trust chiefs last March, inspectors found maternity services had either failed to improve or had “deteriorated further”.

 

The unannounced CQC visit last October followed an inspection six months earlier that identified serious patient safety concerns and branded maternity services as “inadequate” and found the Jessop Wing unit did not provide “the standard of care women should be able to expect”.

 

The later reinspection found “there was little or no improvement to the quality of care patients received, in some areas the service had deteriorated further”.

 

Inspectors found problems in relation to cardiotocography (CTG), which is used to measure a baby’s heart rate, including poor documentation, which fell short of national guidelines.

 

The inspection also found that there were not enough midwifery and medical staff with the “right qualifications, skills and training to keep women and babies safe from avoidable harm and to provide the right care and treatment”.

 

There were also “significant concerns about the assessment of patients in the labour ward assessment unit, maternity staffing and delays in induction of labour”.

 

Foetal monitoring, previously highlighted as a concern to inspectors, “continued to lack urgency and pace in implementing actions and recommendations”.

 

Ann Ford, CQC deputy chief inspector for the north, said she recognised the “enormous pressure” NHS services faced, but the watchdog was concerned that the trust’s “leadership team didn’t always have oversight and weren’t always managing the risks effectively.”

 

She added “It was most disappointing that several areas which we have identified in the last 12 months as needing urgent improvement had still not been fully addressed.”

 

Chadwick Lawrence’s team of medical negligence lawyers have years of experience in high value and complex medical negligence compensation claims and have an excellent record.  The team is led by Tony May, a specialist cerebral palsy and birth injury solicitor, who has over 20 years experience in handling cases in which babies have been brain damaged or sustained other injuries as a result of medical negligence.  He and his team continue to represent many cerebral palsy children and young adults in medical negligence claims.  Tony also acts as a Court of Protection Deputy for many of the cerebral palsy and brain damaged clients that he has represented, so we can continue to support you after your case is settled.  Tony can be contacted by email on tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk.  Alternatively, please call and speak to any of Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist medical negligence Legal Aid and no win, no fee solicitors for free legal advice on Freephone 0800 304 7382