CQC findings expose maternity crisis

There are some excellent maternity units across the country. However, those that fall short of that standard often face significant challenges in maintaining safe services, likely due to difficulties attracting the right levels and quality of staff. Staff shortages undoubtedly have a significant impact, along with the failure to release staff for training, which is crucial to maintaining and updating their knowledge.

In my role as a member of the Multi-Professional Advisory Panel for the charity Baby Lifeline, I see first-hand that midwives are eager to enhance the care they provide. Many attend training on their days off, even though they should be taking the time to rest from what is an incredibly demanding job. All of this undoubtedly affects staff morale, resulting in poor staff retention. Unfortunately, this only exacerbates the stress levels for those working in an understaffed and frequently under-resourced unit.

I would certainly support the call for fundamental change in maternity services. Poorly managed maternity units often lack a cohesive multi-professional approach to care, resulting in a failure to respect the needs and contributions of co-workers. This creates a toxic environment which has a knock-on effect on service-users. Reports of discrimination and misogyny within the system are deeply concerning. Merely increasing funding for staff levels is not enough; the existing issues of recruitment and retention must also be addressed. However, investment is essential and is the best way to not only reduce the financial cost of negligence claims, but also alleviate the personal toll on all those involved. Coping with life-changing injuries or raising a child with brain damage results in ongoing trauma. In addition, staff who have been left to work in environments where they cannot provide the high level of care they aspire to also suffer trauma and demoralisation.

Things do not always go to plan in pregnancy or childbirth and unavoidable injuries can occur. At Russell-Cooke, we act for a number of women who have had a traumatic birth experience resulting in physical and/or psychological damage which should have been avoided. Similarly, we act for a number of babies who have suffered serious brain injury during the course of their birth which has lifelong repercussions, not only for the individual baby, but also for their family. Many of the women we act for have reported that their concerns or questions were either totally disregarded, or met with hostility when they challenged what was considered ‘the norm’. They felt that they were being railroaded into accepting interventions without receiving sufficient information to understand what was happening or provide informed consent. Their basic rights were ignored, and in other instances, when they raised concerns that warranted action, they were disregarded, resulting in injury.

There can also be long-term consequences for women who have suffered physical injury undergoing ‘corrective’ surgery after physical injury during childbirth which, in many cases, was inappropriate. A number of our clients have undergone unnecessary gynaecological surgery, including the use of vaginal mesh, leading to significant long-term disability. Others have suffered infertility due to issues arising from C-sections and the poor management of major obstetric bleeds.