Nearly 60 people approach solicitors in wake of maternity report
Nearly 60 people concerned about their maternity care at Shropshire's hospitals have approached a legal firm since the publication of the Ockenden report, it has emerged.
Beth Heath, head of the clinical negligence team at Lanyon Bowdler, said all of the approaches had come since Wednesday, when the damning report was made public.
The findings detailed a catalogue of failings at Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) over nearly a 20-year period – with Donna Ockenden, who led the inquiry, also raising concerns about recent cases which had taken place after the cut-off period for the review.
Ms Heath, who has been handling cases concerning maternity services at SaTH for around eight years, said that none of those who had got in contact since Wednesday had previously approached the firm.
The solicitor said she was not surprised at the number of people contacting her team.
She said: "I think there is probably a lot of anger about the sheer scale of things and people probably have some unanswered questions about the level of care they received."
The Ockenden report detailed hundreds of cases where there were either "significant" or "major" concerns over the standard of care, where it is considered better care would have resulted in a better outcome.
Ms Heath said she expected people involved in the inquiry would want to know the extent to which their care had fallen short of the standards expected.
She said the apology from the trust in the wake of the Ockenden report would mean nothing if the improvements required are not followed through.
She said: "I think the words are quite meaningless at this stage and only actions will change people's confidence in the hospitals."
Ms Heath said the report was shocking even for someone who has been working on tragic cases for a number of years.
She said: "I am quite frankly appalled. It is a really harrowing and difficult read. The themes and types of failings are not surprising at all because I see them day-in day-out in the majority of my cases.
"What shocks me is seeing it all laid out in one document. All those tragic family stories, it is heartbreaking."
Speaking after the report was published the hospital trust's chief executive Louise Barnett, said they were focussed on further improvement.
She said: “We know that we still have much more to do to ensure we deliver the highest possible standard of care to the women and families we care for.
“Now that we have received the final report, we will approach the requirements with the focus and resolve we brought to the initial recommendations.
“We owe it to those families we failed, those we care for today and in the future, and our valued colleagues providing that care, to continue to make the necessary improvements so we are delivering the best possible care for the communities we serve.”
