Department of Health and Social Care
Central Government
Action Taken
The University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust have implemented recommendations for action resulting from investigations into the care provided, and the learning has been shared widely. (AI summary)
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• Department of Health & Social Care Your Ref: CEM/00617-2019 Our Ref: PFD-1236272 Professor Catherine E Mason HM Senior Coroner, Leicester City and South Leicestershire HM Coroner's Office Town Hall Town Hall Square Leicester LE1 98G From Nadine Dorries MP Minister of State for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health 39 Victoria Street London SW1H0EU 020 7210 4850 Thank you for your letter of 12 May 2020 to Matt Hancock, received by the Department on 26 June 2020, about the death of Harrison Colin Hassall. I am responding as Minister with portfolio responsibility for maternity services and patient safety. Let me start by saying how deeply saddened I am to learn of the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of baby Harrison. I offer my most heartfelt condolences to Harrison's parents and all those affected by Harrison's death. That Harrison's death was contributed to by the failings of healthcare professionals, as your investigation has concluded, must be particularly distressing and we must do all we can to learn from those failings to prevent future tragedies. I am advised that investigations conducted by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust into the care provided to Harrison and his mother identified areas for improvement that resulted in recommendations for action. I am further advised that those actions have been implemented and the learning from this incident has been shared widely to support improvements in safety and in particular, the response of multi-disciplinary teams to maternity emergencies. I encourage the NHS organisations involved to reflect fully on the findings of the coronial investigation and to consider if there is more that can be done to learn from the circumstances of Harrison's death. Your report explains that evidence heard at inquest suggested that midwives are permitted to work in the community too soon after qualification and without adequate experience. In considering those concerns, my officials have taken advice from NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) and the Chief Midwifery Officer, Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent . OBE, and I can provide the following information in relation to the education and training, ongoing professional development and supervision of midwives, including community midwives, in England.