Maternity unit at Basildon hospital given ‘urgent’ safety deadline

An NHS hospital where a woman bled to death during childbirth in February 2019 has been handed an ‘urgent’ deadline by the Care Quality Commission to keep patients at its maternity unit safe.

It has been revealed that the CQC found unsafe staffing levels at the unit at Basildon Hospital throughout the month of August, and the hospital’s Trust has been given until next Monday to implement appropriate safety measures.

The document puts the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust on notice that it has to “implement an effective governance system”, among other measures. Although consequences for missing the deadline were not stipulated, the CQC said it was using its powers under the Health and Social Care Act to impose conditions on the trust’s registration.

A CQC visit in June found failings in six serious cases and rated the maternity unit inadequate. It’s report in August said lessons had not been learnt following the woman’s death in 2019, who lost six litres of blood while giving birth to her daughter.

The CQC said it was now taking “action to protect the welfare of people using the service.”

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s chief executive Clare Panniker, said they had “taken action following the CQC’s initial feedback to make our services better.

“We have a robust improvement plan in place, and continue to work closely with the CQC and our regulators as we make the necessary changes and are committed to improving the quality of maternity care.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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