Committee updated on hospital's maternity review progress
A recommendation contained in the harrowing review of county maternity services has not yet been completed because of a conflict between national advice and the inquiry, officials have said.
Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) held its latest meeting of the 'Ockenden Assurance Committee' this morning.
The committee was put in place to ensure required improvements in SaTH services, recommended by the Ockenden Maternity Review, are carried out.
Officials were given an update on the progress around recommendations from Guy Calcott, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology and lead for clinical quality at SaTH.
The committee was also told that a bid for £440,000 of funding has been submitted to government to pay for staff training – which the trust expects to be approved.
Mr Calcott said that while good progress is being made, there are a number of recommendations which do not yet have the evidence to sign them off as completed.
He said the trust would be requesting an extension to July for those items not on track.
He also outlined issues with the progress on several particular recommendations.
One of those raised at the meeting was the requirement to appoint a dedicated lead midwife and obstetrician to focus on, and champion, the improvement of bereavement care at the trust.
Mr Calcott said that there had been a delay in putting the recommendation in place because the funding for the posts has not yet been approved – although he said the funding had not been delayed by the trust, but from other parts of the NHS locally.
The committee was told this means that the trust has not been able to "hire or provide the consultant time" for the role.
Hospital Chief Executive Louise Barnett said she would discuss the situation with the financial director and report back to the committee.
The committee, which is chaired by the former presenter of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Jane Garvey, was also told that another requirement could not be signed off as complete due to an "apparent contradiction" in guidance.
The Ockenden review requires the trust to undertake discussions with a senior maternity unit – usually at Stoke – for every baby born on its neonatal unit that requires intensive care.
The committee was told this falls outside the national recommendation, and agreed procedure.
It was told discussions are taking place to clarify which recommendation will take precedence.
Richard Kennedy Clinical Service Lead, Obstetrics and Deputy Divisional Director at University Hospital Birmingham, who is part of the panel, said he was confident the Ockenden reviews findings were being acted on.
He said: "The metrics are all tracking in the right direction clinically so I would be pretty confident about allowing a family member of mine to give birth at SaTH."
