Blackpool Victoria Hospital has been recently inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) with the inspector concluding that there are still serious concerns relating to patient safety in its maternity ward.
The CQC noted that while some improvements had been made within the hospital’s maternity services, the lack of available consultants and a shortage of midwives meant that significant improvements are still needed.
Delivering 3,000 babies a year, the findings are worrying raising questions around the safety of mothers and babies in a department that remains inadequately staffed.
Serious injuries suffered either during a pregnancy, or up to a baby’s delivery, can lead to the death of a baby or a baby suffering irreversible brain damage causing extensive lifelong disabilities.
In some cases, serious incidents could have been avoided with adequate medical care. In maternity wards this means both mother and baby being carefully monitored throughout a pregnancy and up to a baby’s safe delivery.
Emergency situations can arise unexpectedly, even in low risk pregnancies, therefore the presence of an adequate number of on duty midwives and the availability of consultants is critical.
Timing is crucial if and when red flag symptoms present themselves such as signs that a baby is in distress on a CTG, the frequency of a baby’s movements reducing – or stopping entirely – or other signs that all is not as it should be.
Missed, or delayed, opportunities to respond to time critical situations can lead to catastrophic outcomes that change a family’s life forever.
The inquest, held at Blackpool Coroner’s Court, found that an abnormal CTG showed that Ayla was in distress during labour. The midwives involved in the care of Ayla’s mum Shannon Lord raised repeated concerns with the locum consultant on duty at the time.
Their concerns were repeatedly ignored leading to a c-section being performed too late to prevent the devastating outcome.
Ayla’s sad case highlighted wider issues within the hospital including the consultant responsible for her care failing to follow national guidelines. He also failed to take heed of an abnormal CTG reading which signalled the need for time sensitive medical intervention.
The latest CQC finding means that many mothers will be anxious about having their baby delivered in Blackpool until meaningful and tangible improvements are made.
Ensuring that the maternity ward is adequately staffed is just one essential concern for the NHS Trust’s leadership team to address sooner rather than later.