Care Quality Commission Inspections in Yorkshire and Birmingham
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has recently published reports of inspections undertaken in Yorkshire as well as at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. The CQC is a public body which regulates all health and social care services in England, and they perform inspections of NHS Trusts providing reports with ratings and recommendations.
Recent CQC inspections which have been reported in the news seem to indicate a specific focus on maternity services. The reports follow inspections at the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Airedale NHS Foundation Trust and the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.
Findings in Bradford
The CQC visited the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in January 2023. The subsequent report found improvements in their maternity services lifting their rating from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘good.’
The investigation found significant improvements in leadership as well as patients benefiting from new purpose-built surgical theatres. The report did however suggest some areas for improvement including staffing issues which must be addressed to keep patients safe.
Findings in Airedale
The CQC report from Airedale was sadly less positive. Following their inspection in December 2022 the CQC downgraded the Airedale NHS Foundation Trust’s rating from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement.’
The report indicates that the staff were committed to the needs of their patients but that their morale was impacted due to staff shortages meaning they could not always give the standard of care required.
Safety concerns were raised particularly in respect of the maternity assessment centre where there was no clear system in place to risk assess and prioritise patients.
Findings in Birmingham
The CQC report from Birmingham identified numerous concerns with a warning notice issued for maternity services at the Birmingham Heartlands Hospital and a ‘requires improvement’ rating at the Good Hope Hospital.
The inspections which took place in February 2023 found that there were insufficient staff to care for the women and babies using their services. It also identified that patients were put at risk in the pregnancy assessment emergency room as they were not seen quickly enough.
The report also identified examples of delays in care and treatment as well as failures by managers in thoroughly investigating incidences.
Lessons to be learned
The inspections outlined several positive aspects of the maternity services at these Trusts. However, the inspections raised concerns about staffing numbers with improvements needed to increase the number of nurses and midwives to ensure the safety of mothers and babies in their care.
Mistakes in the maternity setting can have a life changing and catastrophic impact on parents and their babies. Data by NHS Resolution shows that these types of claims accounted for just 12% of the claims reported to them in 2021/2022 but 62% of the total value (equating to close to £6 billion). This shows the devastating impact of this type of negligence on patients as well as the costly implications for the NHS.
It is therefore reassuring that the CQC seem to be focussing particularly on maternity services as this can be an effective way of identifying shortcomings in care. If these are resolved, then safety incidents should be reduced avoiding serious harm to patients and lowering the cost of maternity claims for the NHS.
How we can help
At Morrish Solicitors we have assisted many families who have been impacted by negligent maternity care and understand the devastating impact of obstetric injuries to both mothers and babies.
We can assist with an initial advice on any potentially negligent treatment at the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, or the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.
We can also help with submitting a complaint and recovering compensation. These steps ensure that mistakes are understood and learned from as well as providing vital funds to help with care needs and rehabilitation.
We are one of a small number of specialist firms who hold a legal aid franchise which means we are able to offer legal aid funding in certain types of cases. We provide a free initial consultation and have offices in Leeds and Bradford where we are happy to meet to discuss a potential claim if that is preferable to a telephone call. You can also contact us via email at [email protected].
Author: Roisin Hulme, Medical Negligence Solicitor
