Baby deaths trust still has care problems - report

There remain instances of poor care at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, the review found

An investigation into the high number of baby deaths at a Shropshire NHS trust in 2022 has identified poor care and issues with the neonatal service.

The Royal College of Physicians' review states further investigation is needed into high mortality across the entire West Midlands region, as well as at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital (SaTH) NHS trust.

On seven baby deaths, the report about the "obstetric journey" describes as poor the way problems were dealt with.

SaTH has apologised for examples of poor care raised in the report.

A total of 18 deaths were recorded by SaTH in the year 2021-22, which was 5% higher than similar sized trusts.

For the three years before this, neonatal mortality had also been high. So the trust invited the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) to look at its neonatal service.

The period 2021-22 was the time when senior midwife Donna Ockenden was reporting on SaTH failures that led to 200 deaths – at that stage the biggest maternity scandal in NHS history.

This year the trust has been rated by the Care Quality Commission as good for maternity services.

Donna Ockenden investigated almost 1,600 incidents at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust

The RCP said the overall impression was of a maternity service that had taken huge strides over the past two years.

However, the report identified only five cases where there was good practice in 2022. Two were unsatisfactory and 10 had room for improvement.

A solicitor representing a number of families told the BBC she did not feel the RCP inquiry fully reflected some of her clients' concerns.

'Golden hour' delays

The report found the neonatal service in 2022 was more fragile than the maternity service and had nursing leadership problems.

It identified a sense of panic at times during resuscitation of babies while trying to get a tube into a baby’s lungs.

There were also delays identified in the “golden hour” after birth when certain vital interventions, such as giving antibiotics, might make a difference.

There were staffing shortfalls identified in neonatal care with the trust having limited qualified nurses and relying on agency staff.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital’s medical director, Dr John Jones, said it had written to each of the 18 families whose baby or babies’ care was reviewed and had begun meeting them to answer questions and offer support.

He said although the review team "described examples of good care, there were also examples of poor care that should have been significantly better".

"We apologise wholeheartedly for this," he added.