Parliamentary activity

Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care

My Hon. Friend. the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy) (Maria Caulfield) has made the following written statement:

Today the report of the independent inquiry into the issues raised by the David Fuller case has been published. Sir Jonathan Michael has updated the victims’ families earlier today.

This report follows two years of work by the independent inquiry, led by Sir Jonathan, investigating David Fuller’s shocking and depraved actions in the mortuaries of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.

I am very grateful to all those who provided evidence to the independent inquiry, especially the families who found the courage to share their experience of what happened to their loved ones.

The report makes for harrowing reading. It sheds a light on the circumstances surrounding David Fuller’s abuse which regrettably meant that his crimes went undetected for a long period of time.

I want to profoundly apologise on behalf of the Government and the NHS and commit that lessons will be learnt. We fully welcome the report, and will ensure that there is a full response to the recommendations in Spring 2024, and that lessons are learned across the wider NHS so that no family has to go through this experience again.

A lot of work has already been done to review mortuary safety since these crimes were first revealed. NHS England required all NHS Trusts with either a mortuary or body store to review practices and ensure they are compliant with the requirements set out in the Human Tissue Authority’s standards and guidance. NHS Trusts were asked to take action to ensure all access points to mortuaries or body stores are controlled by swipe card security access, ensure there is effective CCTV coverage monitoring access to and from mortuary areas, undertake risk assessments of mortuary security and ensure consistent application of appropriate levels of DBS checks for all Trust and contracted employees.

However, we should not be complacent. It is important that the whole system remains alert and accountable at all levels and that any concerns are swiftly identified and escalated through the appropriate governance processes.

The report will be published on gov.uk and is available in the Vote Office (HC 310).

Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care

My Hon friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy) (Maria Caulfield) has made the following Written Statement:

I wish to inform the House of the Government’s full response to the report of the independent review into the maternity and neonatal services at East Kent University NHS Foundation Trust, which will be published today on GOV.UK.

NHS England commissioned Dr Bill Kirkup CBE in February 2022 to undertake this review following concerns about the quality and outcomes of care. This inquiry was published in October 2022 with five recommendations for the healthcare system.

I want to once again express my thanks for the role the families have played in this review. I remain deeply sorry for the harm and pain that has been a result of the failings of the Trust to provide safe care and treatment.

The Government informed the House of its interim response on 7 March 2023 and the fuller response published today sets out in detail how each recommendation is being implemented. This response has been informed by extensive engagement with stakeholders from across the healthcare system and voluntary sector as well as by the insight and views from those families I met with in June, for which I am grateful.

Whilst the issues set out by Dr Kirkup were a result of an investigation into one Trust, many will resonate across the wider system. That is why our response sets out the existing work that is already underway to drive forward system wide improvements, such as the implementation of the Three Year Delivery Plan that was published in March 2023 by NHS England. This Plan is clear on how maternity and neonatal care will be made safer, more personalised, and more equitable for women, babies, and families. It will be an important supporting role in the implementation of the East Kent recommendations, and we recognise there is more that we can do.

Today, I want to draw the attention of the House to the key new action we are taking that will create the conditions needed for the improvements to be successful and sustainable.

I will chair the new National Oversight Group to bring together the key people from the NHS and other organisations to look across maternity and neonatal improvement programmes and the implementation of recommendations from this and other maternity reviews. At a local level in East Kent, I will convene a local forum bringing together the NHS, Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Members of Parliament whose constituents have been affected to share information and updates. I am also pleased to announce that Dr Bill Kirkup has been appointed to support Government action in relation to recommendations 2 and 3.

It is with a firm determination that we must learn the lessons from this inquiry, as well as those before it, to implement meaningful change to prevent further inquiries into failings in maternity and neonatal services across England being needed.

Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care

My Hon friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy) and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Women) (Maria Caulfield) has made the following Written Statement:

On 8 November 2021, the Government announced an independent inquiry to examine the circumstances surrounding the offences committed by David Fuller in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and the national implications of his offending.

Following my statement on 1 December 2022, when I announced the establishment of the compensation scheme to facilitate compensation payments to the family members of David Fuller’s victims, I also updated Parliament on the timescales of the inquiry. I advised that the report on matters relating to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust was planned for the first half of 2023.

I now wish to update Parliament that earlier this year, the inquiry was provided with information that had been passed on to the Police in line with its terms of reference.

The Police have now completed their enquiries regarding the new information provided to them and have found no evidence of any further criminal offences.

The inquiry will now need to investigate the information received by the Police and expects that a report before the autumn will not be possible.

This delay is necessary to allow time for a thorough investigation of the information received and consideration of its impact on the inquiry.

The inquiry has notified families of David Fuller’s victims of the results of the assessment by the Police and the change in timescales. I will continue to keep Parliament updated with any substantial developments.

Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care

My Hon friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy) has made the following Written Statement:

Following my statement on 16 December 2021, I am pleased to inform the House that a compensation scheme to facilitate compensation payments to the family members of David Fuller’s victims has been established today.

The scheme, which will be administered by NHS Resolution on behalf of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, will ensure that compensation is paid to relatives as soon as practicable. The scheme will operate on a tiered approach. All qualifying family members will receive a fixed amount of compensation. Increased payments will then be made for psychiatric trauma and/or financial loss, subject to evidence. Entry into the scheme is entirely voluntary and the scheme will be advertised nationally to help ensure all eligible family members are aware of it.

The scheme represents a highly co-operative effort between NHS Resolution, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and the families’ representatives and I would like to thank all those involved for their work in developing this compensation scheme for families.

I would also like to take the opportunity to update the House on the timescales of the inquiry. The inquiry is progressing well and due to the significant amount of evidence being received, the report on matters relating to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is now planned for the first half of 2023.