A Shropshire law firm is actively working on nearly 100 cases of maternity failings at the trust which runs the county’s two main hospitals.
A specialist team at Lanyon Bowdler are working with families who feel they did not receive an acceptable standard of care from the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.
More harrowing details of failings in maternity care at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital were revealed by a BBC Panorama investigation shown on TV last night.
Beth Heath, head of Lanyon Bowdler’s clinical negligence team, said:
“We feel very strongly, both from a professional and personal point of view, as Shropshire residents, that serious issues at our hospital trust have still not been adequately addressed. There has been far too much tragedy and there is still so much grief in our local community.
“The Panorama programme was powerful and moving. All the families involved were so brave to have shared so openly. I have no doubt that the programme would have been extremely difficult for the many families who have been directly affected by the failings in maternity care at Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals.
“We recently established a specialist team dedicated to working with families who feel they did not receive an acceptable standard of care, and we are currently actively working on nearly 100 cases.
“From our experience, there are a number of recurring themes, such as failures in monitoring the baby’s heart rate, failing to err on the side of caution, failing to involve more senior members of the team, failing to expedite delivery, as well as mothers not been listened to and their requests for C-sections being ignored or denied.
“Senior doctors are not involved enough, and many cases relate to poor communication between midwives, junior doctors and consultants. It was particularly interesting to hear the views of retired consultant Bernie Bentick, who highlighted the poor culture within the trust.
“The attitude at times of the trust has been abhorrent – blaming mothers for the loss or injury to their child. The guilt that these women have then carried with them as a result is unimaginable.
“As a firm we have received in the region of 1,000 enquiries over the past five years from families who feel let down by their hospitals. It’s extremely worrying that we are still getting enquiries on such a regular basis.
“The changes required to maternity services at this trust are numerous and must be meaningful and sustained. The problems have persisted for so many years that making such changes will take time. They need to rebuild trust within the local community and this is not something that can be done overnight.
“The programme has been aired in a week when NHS England abandoned targets for natural deliveries. This is important as for too long this trust has pursued natural deliveries at often catastrophic costs.”