Seven more maternity cases investigated by Shropshire law firm
A further seven cases are being investigated by a law firm amid claims there have been more deaths or injuries of babies or mothers than previously thought at Shropshire's major hospitals.
In the spring of last year Lanyon Bowdler, which has offices in Telford, Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Ludlow, said the organisation was looking into 27 cases relating to Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.
But the firm has now revealed that since June last year it has agreed to investigate a further seven potential cases relating to treatment received in the maternity units at the trust.
The cases relate to three areas, the death of a baby either stillborn or a neonatal death, brain injury suffered at birth or the death of a mother.
The firm says there have been a number of further inquiries since reports came out last week that an investigation into baby deaths within Shropshire’s maternity service could be extended, with claims that 60 babies and mothers had died or been harmed.
The reports were dismissed by hospital bosses as "factually incorrect and untrue"
Speaking about the new cases Lanyon Bowdler is investigating, solicitor Emma Broomfield said: "This includes some cases where the relevant events have occurred since June 2017, but also some which pre-date that time, but where we have been approached since June 2017.
"We have also had a number of further enquiries since Friday’s media coverage which we will be looking into."
Despite the firm deciding to investigate the cases it does not mean that the incidents have been a result of negligence.
In January last year, then health secretary Jeremy Hunt commissioned an independent investigation into 23 suspicious incidents relating to the county’s maternity services.
They included the death of Kate Stanton-Davies at Ludlow Hospital in 2009.
But it has been claimed there are 60 cases where mothers or children either died or suffered serious harm in hospitals across Shropshire.
SaTH's chief executive Simon Wright said that while the trust’s own internal review had looked into a further 40 cases over a 19-year period, there were only 12 of them that were put forward for further investigation.
Mr Wright said all of these cases were already in the public arena, and the trust had been open.
He said to suggest there were more cases which have not been revealed was "simply untrue, irresponsible and scaremongering".
