Shropshire Star comment: Work must be done to rebuild trust with maternity wards
The scale of loss on Telford and Shrewsbury maternity wards is difficult to comprehend.
At a time that ought to have been the most precious and most special of many people’s lives, people instead suffered heartbreak.
A total of 1,862 cases are being investigated by an independent inquiry into failings in maternity care. Each represents a personal, life-changing tragedy for those involved. Many mothers and fathers will never come to terms with the loss they suffered.
Louise Bennett, the chief executive of our local NHS trust, has declared an apology is insufficient. In an open letter to the families, she says that standards of care were not good enough.
As she puts it: “We should have provided far better care for these families at what was one of the most important times in their lives and we have let them down.”
A huge amount of work must be done to restore trust among those who depend upon local maternity services.
The root and branch review must consider every case and establish what went wrong, and why failings were made. This should help grieving families obtain the answers to which they are entitled. As they continue to grieve, they must be afforded closure on what has been an incredibly stressful and traumatic experience.
Beyond that, lessons must be learned. Those looking forward to one of the most precious and meaningful days of their life must not be let down by a service whose principle objective is to support life, not to end it.
Talking to the families involved is a vital step in understanding how and where improvements need to be made.
They must have confidence that local staff adhere to best practices and have the skills required to bring their children into the world. They must know that they are in turn responsible to administrators who are well trained, have sufficient expertise and provide the necessary support.
Put more simply; they must be absolutely convinced that the tragedies in our maternity units will never happen again. Nobody else must be allowed to experience that heartache and trauma.
