Dr Bill Kirkup has given a press conference announcing the release of his 192 page report into maternity standards at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.
He began the conference by saying that what has happened at the Trust is “deplorable and harrowing” and his report contains “numerous instances of care that was not given at the right standard”. He found that the Trust “consistently failed to meet standards” and of the 202 families that came forward, his report found that 97 deaths, injuries or other harm could have been different if care had been given to the standards accepted nationally. Crucially, 45 of the 65 babies that died could have had a different outcome had they received treatment of an acceptable standard.
He has identified four underlying themes which led directly to problems:
- Extreme failures of team working;
- Failures of professionalism, compassion and kindness;
- A failure to listen to women; and
- A failure to respond to concerns - on at least eight occasions over ten years, the Trust Board was presented with what should have been “inescapable signals” that there were serious problems in the maternity unit. They did nothing and as result, “the pattern of behaviour and harm continued unaltered”.
The full report can be read here:
Michelle Meakin, a partner here at Girlings Personal Injury Claims represents families affected by the failings at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.
In response to the report Michelle has said:
“My clients rarely come to me because they want compensation. They come to me for answers and with a hope of holding the hospital accountable for what has happened to them or their loved one. Often, they just want to make sure the hospital learns from its mistakes so that the same thing doesn’t happen to anyone else. Regrettably, time and time again we see that lessons are not learnt.
This is of course demonstrated in the context of the local maternity provision here in East Kent by the concerns highlighted in numerous reports and reviews where the same issues have been highlighted time and time again. How many more reviews have to happen before things change?”