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Posted on 8th March 2022
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has identified elevated health risks for mothers and children at two hospitals run by the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT). Detailed evaluation of staffing levels and practices have led the CQC to downgrade the trust’s assessment rating for maternity services to “needs improvement.” Families who received substandard care may be eligible to make birth injury claims to help address any harm they suffered when treated.
Poor maternity care at Royal Hampshire County and Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospitals
The CQC’s January report followed two unannounced inspections at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital and the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital during November 2021. In it, evaluators identify several concerning failures with regards to the standard of maternity care, including:
- Failure to address the risks of COVID-19 in relation to women from minority ethnic backgrounds.
- Failure to identify and treat sepsis in line with national guidelines for best practice.
- Inadequate staffing levels for maintaining the safety of women and children at the hospitals.
- Management staff facing too much pressure to do their job effectively.
The findings indicate that thousands of women and children treated at the facilities were at higher risk of adverse health effects directly resulting from substandard care. Should you find yourself in this situation, you should contact a medical negligence solicitor for guidance on how to go about making a birth injury claim.
Inspectors criticise maternity services
Inspectors described the hospitals as “incredibly busy” and highlighted the negative impact on patient care resulting from the lack of staff. Staff working in the maternity units were described as having gone “over above the call of duty” and were subsequently exhausted.
Inspectors found that staff initially brought in to deliver education and help develop the nursing teams were frequently drafted in to help provide clinical care. This meant that they could not deliver or were forced to delay key training, putting patients at additional risk from potential birth injuries and associated birth injury compensation claims.
The CQC’s inspections were conducted in response to concerns around the safety and quality of maternity services at the two hospitals. These concerns now appear to be well-founded.
Birth injury lawyers
Families of mothers who received pre or post maternity care at hospitals run by the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust may understandably have questions or concerns about the treatment(s) they received. If you would like to speak to a birth injury lawyer about the prospect of making a maternity claim, Blackwater Law’s specialist solicitors are here to help.
Call today for free initial advice and get the support you need to make things right.
