Nursing regulator 'misled' Cumbria baby death family

Joshua Titcombe died nine days after being born at the Furness General Hospital maternity unit in 2008

A vital document was overlooked and "misleading statements" were made during investigations by the nursing regulator into baby deaths in Cumbria, a report has said.

Joshua Titcombe was one of 11 babies to die at Barrow's Furness General Hospital amid a "lethal mix of failures."

A campaign by his father, James, led to reviews into maternity safety.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has apologised to Mr Titcombe.

The report, which the NMC commissioned, said the regulator's lawyers failed to pass on a chronology of events leading up to and after Joshua's death provided by Mr Titcombe.

It later misled other regulators and then Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt by saying the document had been considered ahead of a fitness to practice hearing, when in fact it had been lost, the independent report by Verita said.

It added Mr Titcombe and his wife were considered "unreliable witnesses" at a midwife's disciplinary hearing, which led to them being "unfairly attacked" in the press.

The report said the errors were the result of "mainly accidental factors" and "poor communication and management" and has recommended the regulator treat grieving families with more respect.

James Titcombe successfully campaigned for an inquiry into baby deaths

A Professional Standards Authority (PSA) report in May 2018 highlighted how Mr Titcombe was seen as "hostile" to the NMC.

Its then chief executive, Jackie Smith, announced she was quitting on the eve of the PSA report's publication.

Andrea Sutcliffe, the regulator's current head, admitted the treatment of the Titcombe family was "unacceptable".

"Our actions made an awful situation much worse," she said, adding: "I am also very sorry that our communications with Mr Titcombe, the PSA and the secretary of state contained incorrect and misleading information about the handling of evidence."

She said "significant changes" had since been made, including better record keeping and a new patient support service.

Mr Titcombe described the report as "shocking".

"It basically says the regulator for nurses and midwives, when they got something badly wrong, instead of being open and honest, they misled a whole lot of people," he said.

"This is exactly the behaviour what we don't want to see in health care."

However, he said he hoped the new leadership of the NMC would act better in the future.