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Select Committee · Health and Social Care Committee

Safety of maternity services in England

Status: Closed Opened: 24 Jul 2020 Closed: 26 Oct 2021 23 recommendations 8 conclusions 1 report

This inquiry will examine evidence relating to ongoing safety concerns with maternity services. It will build upon investigations that followed incidents at East Kent Hospitals University Trust and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust, as well as the inquiry into the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust. We will also consider whether the clinical … Show more

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Fourth Report - The safety of maternity services in England HC 19 6 Jul 2021 31 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

6 items
2 Conclusion Fourth Report - The safety of maternity… Deferred

With 8 out of 10 midwives reporting that they did not have enough staff on...

With 8 out of 10 midwives reporting that they did not have enough staff on their shift to provide a safe service, it is clear that urgent action is needed to address staffing shortfalls in maternity services. Evidence submitted to our inquiry estimates that as a minimum, there need to … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government is considering this conclusion, noting recent investment for 1,200 additional midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians and the commissioning of a new workforce planning tool. They will take recommendations on funding for staffing into consideration and assess workforce levels, but do not commit to …
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Department of Health and Social Care
3 Recommendation Fourth Report - The safety of maternity… Deferred

We recommend that the budget for maternity services be increased by £200–350m per annum with...

We recommend that the budget for maternity services be increased by £200–350m per annum with immediate effect. This funding increase should be kept under close review as more precise modelling is carried out on the obstetric workforce and as Trusts continue to undertake regular safe staffing reviews of midwifery workforce … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government is considering the recommendation for an immediate budget increase for maternity services, noting recent investment and an ongoing assessment of workforce levels, but does not commit to the specific funding amount or immediate action.
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Department of Health and Social Care
18 Conclusion Fourth Report - The safety of maternity… Deferred

Providing appropriate financial redress to families after an incident is important.

Providing appropriate financial redress to families after an incident is important. However, the rising costs of maternity claims without sufficient learning and outdated mechanisms for calculating compensation is unsustainable. It is particularly unfair that wealthier families receive more compensation for a severely disabled child than poorer families because likely lost … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government states it will publish a consultation on patient safety and rising clinical negligence costs, with decisions on next steps to be taken after the consultation, thereby deferring action on the issues raised in the committee's conclusion.
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Department of Health and Social Care
19 Recommendation Fourth Report - The safety of maternity… Deferred

While the review of the negligence system is underway, we recommend the Department must implement...

While the review of the negligence system is underway, we recommend the Department must implement the Rapid Redress and Resolution Scheme in full. We also recommend the Department provides the Committee with the scope and timetable for its review of clinical negligence by September 2021. Read more

Government response AI summary
The government plans to consult on next steps to address clinical negligence costs, stating that decisions will be made following this consultation, rather than committing to implement the Rapid Redress and Resolution Scheme in full or providing a review timetable.
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Department of Health and Social Care
20 Recommendation Fourth Report - The safety of maternity… Deferred

We recommend that following that review, the Department brings forward proposals for litigation reforms that...

We recommend that following that review, the Department brings forward proposals for litigation reforms that award compensation for maternity cases based on whether an incident was avoidable rather than a requirement to prove clinical negligence. That approach would allow families to access compensation without the need for the courts in … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government will publish a consultation on litigation reforms to improve patient safety and address rising costs, with decisions on next steps to be taken only after the consultation.
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Department of Health and Social Care
21 Recommendation Fourth Report - The safety of maternity… Deferred

In addition, we recommend that the Department and NHS Resolution remove the need to compensate...

In addition, we recommend that the Department and NHS Resolution remove the need to compensate on the basis of private healthcare provision where appropriate NHS care is available; and that compensation is standardised against the national average wage to prevent unjust variability in compensation payouts. Read more

Government response AI summary
The Government plans to consult on next steps to address the rising costs of clinical negligence, with decisions to be made after the consultation.
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Department of Health and Social Care

Oral evidence sessions

5 sessions
Date Witnesses
2 Feb 2021 Dr Matthew Jolly · NHS England, Ms Nadine Dorries · Department of Health and Social Care, Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent · NHS England and NHS Improvement, Sarah-Jane Marsh · NHS England, William Vineall · Department of Health and Social Care View ↗
19 Jan 2021 Andrea Sutcliffe · Nursing and Midwifery Council, Charlie Massey · General Medical Council, Doctor Daghni Rajasingam · The Shelford Group, Gill Adgie · Royal College of Midwives, Jo Mounfield · Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Niamh Maguire · Sussex Local Maternity System, Professor James Walker · Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch, Sara Ledger · Baby Lifeline View ↗
15 Dec 2020 Clotilde Rebecca Abe · FiveXMore Campaign, Donna Ockenden · Independent review into Maternity Services at The Shrewsbury And Telford Hospitals - Maternity Admin, Dr Edward Morris · The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), Gill Walton · Royal College of Midwives, Professor Gordon Smith · University of Cambridge, Professor Jenny Kurinczuk · University of Oxford, Professor Marian Knight · National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Tinuke Awe · Five x More View ↗
3 Nov 2020 Darren Smith, bereaved parent, Dr Jenny Vaughan · Doctors' Association UK, Dr Pelle Gustafson · Swedish Patient Insurer, Dr Sonia MacLeod, Helen Vernon · NHS Resolution, James Titcombe, bereaved parent View ↗
29 Sep 2020 Dr Bill Kirkup · Morecambe Bay maternity investigation and East Kent maternity investigation, Dr Matthew Jolly · NHS England, Miss Michelle Hemmington · Campaign for Safer Births, Professor Jacqueline Dunkley Bent · NHS England and NHS Improvement, Professor Ted Baker · Care Quality Commission View ↗

Who gave evidence

31 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Dr Matthew Jolly · National Clinical Director for the Maternity Revi… NHS England 2
Andrea Sutcliffe · Chief Executive Nursing and Midwifery Council 1
Charlie Massey · Chief Executive and Registrar General Medical Council 1
Clotilde Rebecca Abe · Co-founder FiveXMore Campaign 1
Darren Smith, bereaved parent — 1
Doctor Daghni Rajasingam · Consultant Obstetrician The Shelford Group 1
Donna Ockenden · Chair Independent review into Maternity Services at The Shrewsbury And Telford Hospitals - Maternity Admin 1
Dr Bill Kirkup · Chairman Morecambe Bay maternity investigation and East Kent maternity investigation 1
Dr Edward Morris · President The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) 1
Dr Jenny Vaughan · Consultant Neurologist, Learn Not Blame, Law and … Doctors' Association UK 1
Dr Pelle Gustafson · CMO Swedish Patient Insurer 1
Dr Sonia MacLeod — 1
Gill Adgie · Regional Head Royal College of Midwives 1
Gill Walton · Chief Executive Royal College of Midwives 1
Helen Vernon · Chief Executive NHS Resolution 1
James Titcombe, bereaved parent — 1
Jo Mounfield · Vice President for Workforce and Professionalism Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 1
Miss Michelle Hemmington · Co-founder Campaign for Safer Births 1
Ms Nadine Dorries · Minister of State for Mental Health, Suicide Prev… Department of Health and Social Care 1
Niamh Maguire · Obstetric Clinical Lead Sussex Local Maternity System 1
Professor Gordon Smith · Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology University of Cambridge 1
Professor Jacqueline Dunkley Bent · Chief Midwifery Office NHS England and NHS Improvement 1
Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent · Chief Midwifery Officer NHS England and NHS Improvement 1
Professor James Walker · Clinical Director of Maternity Investigation Prog… Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch 1
Professor Jenny Kurinczuk · Professor of Perinatal Epidemiology & Director, N… University of Oxford 1
Professor Marian Knight · Director National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit 1
Professor Ted Baker · Chief Inspector of Hospitals Care Quality Commission 1
Sara Ledger · Head of Research Baby Lifeline 1
Sarah-Jane Marsh · National Priority Programme Director for Urgent a… NHS England 1
Tinuke Awe · Co-founder Five x More 1
William Vineall · Director of NHS Quality, Safety and Investigations Department of Health and Social Care 1

Correspondence

6 letters
DateDirectionTitle
7 Jul 2021 — Correction to written evidence submitted by NHS Resolution to the Safety of mat…
6 Jul 2021 — Transcript of maternity services roundtable with clinicians on 7 January 2021
15 Jun 2021 To cttee Letter from NHS Providers on maternity workforce expansion
25 May 2021 To cttee Letter from the Royal College of Midwives on the Committee's inquiry into Safet…
27 Apr 2021 To cttee Letter from the Minister of State for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Me…
6 Jan 2021 To cttee Letter from Dr Jenny Vaughan following up from a question asked during the Saft…