Shropshire baby deaths review widened

Last year’s investigation into the tragic Shropshire baby deaths is to be widened as the number of cases has increased from 23 to over 40.

The investigation that was launched last year into the quality of care at a Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust maternity unit has been looking into a lack of staff and a lack of a learning couture to prevent incidents, with a number of the Shropshire baby deaths cases being linked to negligence.

Infant deaths, maternal deaths and brain injuries are among the problems that have been linked to poor quality of care within the Trust.

More families come forward to widen Shropshire baby deaths investigation

It’s understood that more families have come forward after the Shropshire baby deaths investigation that commenced last year, which has led to the widening of the reviews.

There are now said to be more than 40 cases, although it’s thought that the Trust has suggested that these cases were already known.

Serious allegations of negligence had been made where it’s said that a number of the Shropshire baby deaths could have been prevented. The NHS has accepted that both new-born babies and women had died or suffered harm as a result of the care they were provided.

Further NHS statement on the Shropshire baby deaths

A further NHS statement about the Shropshire baby deaths has been released. A spokesperson for NHS Improvement said:

“(the NHS has agreed) to consider additional historical investigations that have been highlighted since our independent review was announced in April 2017, where women, infants and new-born babies had died or suffered harm in the maternity services provided by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust”.

This includes the cases that the trust had considered as part of its legacy review, as well as the finding of the review it commissioned the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to undertake.”

Could there be more Shropshire baby deaths cases to consider?

The review into the Shropshire baby deaths has already widened once, and there are fears that it may widen further as more evidence and information is uncovered.

It’s clear that there are serious questions as to the quality of the care provided at the maternity unit, where deaths are said to have been preventable. The Shropshire baby deaths scandal is a tragic affair, and we can only hope that there will never be a repeat scenario of this ever again.

As we often say, NHS funding is key to stopping these scandals taking place, and we all know that NHS funding is a real issue at the moment that needs a swift and effective resolution.