National maternity investigation to include Leicester hospitals services
Maternity services at hospitals in Leicester will be included in a targeted government investigation aiming to drive up standards.
The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation will look into standards at 14 NHS Trusts, including the University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) NHS Trust, which manages Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI) and the Leicester General Hospital.
Last year, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) gave a safety rating of maternity services at the LRI and the General as ‘requires improvement’.
Ironically, Melton Mowbray’s St Mary’s Birth Centre, received a ‘good’ grading in its latest maternity inspection, and UHL has currently taken a decision to pause births and postnatal in-patient care for six months.
Hundreds of people last month took to the town’s streets to march in support of the baby unit and call for it to be reopened in January amid fears that the temporary closure would become a permanent one.
In response to the announcement about the investigation by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, UHL said it welcomed being included in it and that it was an opportunity to ‘reflect, learn, and contribute to national progress’.
The trust has published an open letter to families in Leicestershire and Rutland, signed by chief nurse Julie Hogg, medical director Andrew Furlong, director of midwifery Danni Burnett and consultant neonatologist Jonathan Cusack.
It reads: “We want to reassure people using our maternity and neonatal services that the safety, wellbeing, and experience of women, babies and families is, and always will be, our highest priority.
“Over the past two years our teams have made significant improvements - from strengthening how we listen to families, increasing the number of midwives and consultants, and enhancing facilities, through to investing in new technology and ways of working.
"These changes and wider ongoing improvement work are enhancing both the safety and quality of care.
“We know there is more to do and there are some families who have not received the standard of care they deserved.
"To those families we are deeply sorry, and we remain committed to listening and working with you.”
The trust invites anyone concerned about the care they are receiving to contact their midwife or their named consultant, email [email protected] or call freephone 0808 1788337.