In August 2023 the Care Quality Commission (“CQC”) carried out an inspection of the maternity services at Royal Derby Hospital, considering whether the services provided were safe and whether they were well led. The published findings noted that the maternity provision in these categories was ‘Inadequate’ and as a consequence the hospital rating overall has been classified as ‘Requires Improvement’.
Royal Derby Hospital forms part of University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust who also manage the Queens Hospital in Burton on Trent. The CQC also carried out an inspection of the maternity services there in August 2023 and sadly the maternity provision was also noted to be ‘Inadequate’.
Some of the main concerns highlighted by the CQC across both hospitals were that:-
- The service did not always assess risks in relation to fetal monitoring and post-partum hemorrhage effectively;
- The service did not always have enough midwifery or medical staff to care for those giving birth to keep them safe;
- The service did not identify, manage and investigate safety incidents in a timely way or effectively embed lessons learned from them;
- Staff were not always up to date with training in key skills.
The CQC inspection reports can be found here:-
Royal Derby Hospital – Care Quality Commission (cqc.org.uk)
Queens Hospital – Care Quality Commission (cqc.org.uk)
Whilst all the concerns highlighted by the CQC present very worrying findings, the report looked in depth into the monitoring of fetal heartbeat and contractions during labour. At the time of inspection staff were only completing peer reviews of fetal monitoring every two hours rather than every hour, which was outside of national guidance. Whilst the Hospital Trust have now updated their position to bring it in line with national guidance, the CQC state that maternity summary reports produced earlier this year showed CTGs were not being correctly interpreted in a many number of cases. From our experience of investigating medical negligence claims, failures with regard to maternal and fetal monitoring can lead to missed opportunities for earlier delivery, additional distress to a baby during labour, and drastically different outcomes. When time is of the essence, a failure to appropriately interpret monitoring can lead to life changing injuries to baby, or very sadly stillbirth.
Maternity services across the country have been under scrutiny for a number of years with many high profile investigations. Locally, Donna Ockenden is currently leading the largest NHS investigation in history into the maternity services in Nottingham. The concerns raised following the CQC investigations at Derby and Burton may raise questions as to whether the maternity services in Derby and Burton should also have further scrutiny.
Claire Cooper, Senior Associate in the Clinical Negligence Team at Rothera Bray, said “There have been concerns voiced surrounding the maternity provision in Derbyshire for some time and to hear that the CQC have now classified this as ‘inadequate’ is sadly of no surprise to me. Families place their trust, lives and babies lives in the hands of medical staff during pregnancy and labour. To hear that the services provided to them have been inadequate, will of course cause great distress and raise a lot of questions. I would encourage anyone who has concerns about the maternity treatment they or their loved ones have received, to push for answers and emotional support at this difficult time.”
Inadequate treatment during the antenatal and labour period can result in injuries to the mother such as vaginal tears, unnecessary prolapse, trauma and associated psychiatric injury (PTSD), and surgical interventions which could have otherwise been avoided. Inadequate treatment can also cause significant injuries to the child including brain injuries and physical injuries such as erbs palsy, and sadly stillbirth or death following delivery.
At Rothera Bray our specialist Clinical Negligence team is experienced in investigating birth injury claims to mother and baby and experience of group action claims involving gynaecology and obstetric issues.
If you have concerns about the treatment that you, or a loved one has received, please contact us for FREE initial advice about how we can help you on 03456 465 465 or email enquiries@rotherabray.co.uk
Disclaimer: This blog is for information only and does not constitute legal advice. If you need legal advice please contact us on 03456 465 465 or email enquiries@rotherabray.co.uk to get tailored advice specific to your circumstances from our qualified lawyers
