Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) is to plead guilty to charges brought by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for failures to provide safe care and treatment to three mothers and their babies in 2021.
NUH will appear at Nottingham Magistrates Court from Monday 10 to Wednesday 12 February. The charges were brought under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 for failure to provide safe maternity care and treatment resulting in a significant risk of avoidable harm and, in one case, actual avoidable harm, contrary to Regulations 12 (1) and 22 of the Act.
The babies all died while being cared for by NUH maternity services. Three charges are in connection with the babies, and a further three in connection with their mothers.
Sentencing is expected to take place within the week.
Ahead of the hearing, Chief Executive Anthony May said: “The mothers and families in these cases have had to endure things that no family should after the care provided by our hospitals failed them, and for that I am truly sorry. These families have shown incredible strength during this time, and I can only imagine how painful it must have been for them to share their experiences again.
“The Trust recognises the concerns raised by the CQC and has acted upon them to improve the services we provide to women and families in our care. The changes made mean that we are working in a different environment than 2021 and we believe that we now have a safer and more effective maternity service.”
Improvements made within maternity services to help prevent cases like these from occurring again, include:
- Increased fetal monitoring training and support in clinical areas means the care provided for mothers and babies at NUH is now safer.
- Guidelines and protocols have been updated and made more accessible and visible to staff, leading to improved recordings of cardiotocography (CTG) monitoring.
- Handover processes have been improved, with a more joined-up approach across services using verbal and written updates and meetings to ensure all staff, including consultants, can manage patient safety, reduce the likelihood of information being missed or misinterpreted, and manage staffing levels throughout the day.
- Investment and training into the development and recruitment of maternity staff has seen a significant increase in staffing numbers on our wards and a positive reduction in the number of staff leaving the Trust. This translates to a safer maternity service for babies, mothers, and our staff.
In our 2023 CQC report, where our overall maternity rating was improved, the CQC recognised that cardiotocography (CTG) monitoring for women, which was highlighted as an area of concern in these cases, was now completed appropriately and was documented in line with national guidance.
