Maternity Services Downgraded Due to Significant Risk of Harm
Maternity services in two hospitals in Leeds were downgraded by the health regulatory authority from "good" to "inadequate" due to mistakes that posed a significant risk to women and babies. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) conducted unannounced inspections at the NHS trust of Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) and found concerns about the quality of care and staff shortages.
Concerns Raised by Employees and Patients
The concerns raised by employees and patients were validated by the CQC, which found that the trust had failed to address issues with risk management, safe environment, learning from incidents, infection prevention and control, medication management, and staffing. The CQC also found that leadership was "below acceptable standard" and did not support the delivery of high-quality care.
Risks to Patients
The CQC identified several risks to patients, including:
- People being "not safe" and at risk of avoidable harm
- Babies and families not being supported and treated with dignity and respect
- Leadership being "below acceptable standard" and not supporting the delivery of high-quality care
- Staff being hesitant to raise concerns and incidents due to a "blame culture"
- Staff being overstretched and understaffed
Evidence of Incidents
The LTH provided the CQC with evidence of 170 maternity incidents between May and September 2024, which highlighted staffing problems. The CQC also found concerns about staffing in the newborn services, with a lack of qualified staff to care for babies with complex needs.
Response from the Trust
The LTH has committed to improving its maternity and newborn services at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) and St. James’ University Hospital. The trust has scheduled 35 newly qualified midwives to start work in the autumn, as well as additional leadership roles in midwifery.
Monitoring and Improvement
The CQC will closely monitor the trust’s services, including further inspections, to ensure that patients receive safe care while improvements are implemented. The director of the CQC in northern England, Ann Ford, stated that the regulatory authority would work to ensure that patients receive safe care and that improvements are made.
Families’ Experiences
Families who have experienced inadequate care at the trust have spoken out about their experiences. One family, whose baby was stillborn in January 2024, believes that their child would have survived if they had received better treatment. Another family, whose daughter died in 2020 after a series of "gross errors", described the CQC’s findings as "terrible".
Call for Independent Review
All 67 families who have spoken to the BBC are calling for an independent review of the trust’s maternity services. A group of them has asked the health secretary to commission a review led by a high-ranking midwife. Some Leeds families have also joined other survivors from across England to demand a national investigation into the safety of maternity services.
