Shropshire and Leeds hospitals excluded from national maternity review

Two NHS trusts have been removed from a study into maternity failures in England.

Trusts in Shropshire and Leeds have been excluded from the government’s rapid reviews into “system failures”, after it was confirmed last month that they were two of 14 trusts to be examined.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust (SaTH) was axed after “discussions with West Mercia Police over the details and timing of [an] investigation underway.” The decision shocked families across the county.

The news that Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTH) is no longer included in the review comes after a “separate inquiry into maternity announced by the Secretary of State” on Monday, officials said.

The national inquiry must urgently examine the country’s worst-performing maternity and neonatal services and report by December.

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan said she was concerned that “a review of maternity care in the UK does not believe it can learn from one of the most in-depth investigations into maternity care failures in decades”.

In Leeds, a BBC investigation found the LTH deaths of at least 56 babies and two mothers over the past five years could have been avoided.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he hoped the Leeds-focused inquiry, announced on Monday, would help families uncover the truth about what went wrong in their care.

The trust’s maternity wards were downgraded from “good” to “inadequate” earlier this year, after unannounced inspections raised concerns that women and babies were “at risk of avoidable harm”.

In a statement released at the time, the trust told the BBC it was already taking “significant steps to make improvements”.

In 2022, a review of Shropshire maternity services, led by midwife Donna Ockenden, concluded that catastrophic failures could have led to the deaths of more than 200 babies, nine mothers and left other infants with life-changing injuries.

West Mercia Police launched their own investigation in 2020, to determine whether there was evidence to support a criminal case against the trust or anyone involved.

Earlier this year, the force announced it had begun interviewing current and former staff members.

Charlotte Cheshire, from Newport in Shropshire, has a son who has been left severely disabled due to failed motherhoods in the county.

She said she was “absolutely horrified” to learn SaTH had been removed from the exam.

She learned of the decision when a letter was sent to some parents on Tuesday.

The decision to exclude Shropshire and Leeds from the review would mean families’ stories would not be heard, she explained.

“I don’t see how Baroness Amos and her team could actually get to the bottom of the issues, which could improve maternity care in the future,” Ms Cheshire said.

Morgan, who is also the Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, said: “I am very concerned that a review of maternity care in the UK does not believe it can learn from one of the most in-depth investigations into maternity care failures in decades.

“I also think it’s very important that affected families have a say.

“They were the first to come to light, they experienced incredible tragedies and trauma and I believe their experience is relevant to this investigation.”