Group B Strep Support has responded to the interim findings of the independent review of maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals (SATH) NHS Trust by a team led by midwifery expert Donna Ockenden, published today.
Families bravely shared their experiences of pregnancies ending with stillbirth, newborn brain damage and the deaths of babies and mothers.
Some mothers were blamed for their babies’ deaths, others were denied appropriate care, concerns about the mother or her baby were not escalated to the right people or in a timely way, and deaths were often not investigated properly.
Parents including Kayleigh Griffiths, Charlotte Cheshire and Hayley Matthews had babies who were severely ill or died as a result of group B Strep infection – when these could have been prevented. It’s important that the NHS learns from the mistakes in their care.
The findings make hard reading and our hearts go out to all families who have shared their experiences as part of this important review.
It is vital that the NHS as a whole learns from this review, so that in the future babies do not fall ill or die as a result of poor care or preventable disease.
Jane Plumb MBE, CHief Executive, Group B Strep Support