Singleton Hospital maternity services: Medical negligence lawyers set out the need for improved safety of mums and babies
The Welsh NHS is currently facing high escalation levels, indicating severe financial and operational pressures across its trusts and health boards.
We've seen examples of the operational pressures described within the NHS in Wales having a direct impact on patient care and outcomes. Particularly noteworthy are the persistent concerns at Swansea Bay University Health Board, where the escalation level for maternity and neonatal services remains at Level 3 - enhanced monitoring.
Singleton Hospital maternity care concerns
Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) considered in its September 2023 report that the safety and wellbeing of mums couldn't be guaranteed at Singleton Hospital maternity unit in Swansea.
In a February 2024 Health Education Improvement Wales (HEIW) report, which was prepared following a targeted visit to the unit, on-going concerns were identified in relation to the training doctors received, staff shortages and bullying. Approximately a third of antenatal clinics were reported to lack consultant supervision and it was found that trainees were inappropriately conducting unsupervised clinics.
Further recommendations have been made to improve the maternity unit, however, it's concerning that significant improvement doesn't appear to have been made since the damning September 2023 report.
Furthermore, former senior midwife Donna Ockenden, who has carried out investigations into maternity safety in Shropshire and Nottingham, has now stated it is “unbelievable” that bereaved and harmed families are having to campaign for a review they feel they can trust.
The impact of maternity care failings
Issues with maternity and neonatal care have the potential to result in severe injuries to both mums and newborn babies, which can have devastating and life-long impact. There's a need for vigilant oversight and swift action to address these systemic issues that could potentially impact expectant mothers and new born children.
It's paramount that the concerns of families affected by maternity care in Singleton are listened to as part of the review process in order to improve maternity safety and avoid further avoidable incidents of harm.
Supporting families affected by maternity care issues
Through our work supporting families affected by maternity care issues, we often find that patients who've been let down by the system will then resort to legal action because they're unsatisfied with the way that the NHS has handled an investigation into their care, or the outcome of the investigation has left them with unanswered questions.
Not only are families left needing access to support or access to specialist therapies and rehabilitation but often they remain concerned that the system hasn't changed, or Health Boards haven't learned from the incident, meaning there's a significant risk a similar incident could happen in the future and lead to harm to others.
We often see incidents which haven't been investigated as effectively as they could have been due to a culture of fear and blame within the NHS, which can lead to system errors being redefined as individual error. This can reduce staff engagement and impact on the effectiveness of the investigation, the satisfaction of the patient, and any chances of implementing positive change.
Conclusion
We welcome the comments from Ms Ockenden and urge the Health Board to work closely with families to progress this review in a timely manner. In the meantime, NHS Wales must prioritise patient care and accepting when patients have been let down is crucial to improving maternity safety moving forwards.
If anyone has concerns about care received in Singleton, they can raise these during the next 10 weeks with Llais, an independent body set up by Welsh Government to give people of Wales a stronger voice in health and social care services.
You can also find out more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in supporting families affected by maternity care issues at our dedicated birth injury section.
