Deaths of 56 babies and two mothers at NHS trust, whistleblower blames ‘horrible care’, ‘could have been prevented’

At least 56 babies and two mothers have tragically died at Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust in the past five years, with families concerned that many of these deaths could have been prevented. It has been stated.

The hospital’s two maternity wards, Leeds General Hospital and St James’s University Hospital, have been rated ‘good’ by the UK healthcare regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

However, two whistleblowers shared alarming reports suggesting the unit was unsafe and standards of care were being ignored.

Separate data has revealed that Leeds has the highest neonatal mortality rate in the UK.

According to a recent report, the trust’s neonatal mortality rate will be 4.46 per 1,000 live births in 2022, which is 70 per cent higher than the average mortality rate for comparable NHS trusts.

An increase in neonatal deaths from 3.30 per 1,000 live births in 2017 is causing alarm among families and health professionals alike.

Families who lost babies at Leeds General Hospital and St James’s University Hospital have raised multiple concerns about the trust’s handling of these deaths, with some alleging a culture of negligence and a lack of empathy on the part of hospital staff. There is.

For many parents, the distress caused by the fact that the trust’s former chief executive, Sir Julian Hartley, is now head of the CQC, the very body responsible for regulating NHS hospitals. is getting worse.

These parents are concerned that his position on the regulator could undermine the independence of future investigations into the trust’s maternity services.

A BBC investigation into the trust found that between January 2019 and July 2024, at least 56 infants died in circumstances that a trust-led review group concluded could have been avoidable. It turns out.

The deaths included 27 stillbirths and 29 neonatal deaths, which occurred within 28 days of birth.

Each case considered by the Trust identified potential problems with the care provided, but highlighted that the majority of births at the Trust were safe and maternal and child deaths remained rare. Ta.

But families who lost children in Leeds are calling for a comprehensive and independent review of the trust’s practices to ensure important lessons are learned.

They are also advocating for a public inquiry into maternity safety across the UK, with a focus on improving standards nationally.

Families describe a culture of “tick-box” care where serious concerns are ignored rather than addressed.

Lisa Elliott, a former maternity support worker who worked at Leeds Teaching Hospital in 2023, spoke of the inadequate care she witnessed during her time there.

She described the situation as “horrifying” and highlighted how the failure to listen to the concerns of patients and staff had dire consequences.

“When you don’t listen, disaster happens. Many of these deaths could have been avoided,” she said.

The story of one couple, Dan and Fiona Lamb, has received particular attention. Their baby, Aliona Grace, died at Leeds General Hospital in January 2020, aged just 27 minutes.

The delay in admitting Fiona to hospital after her water broke and the failure to raise concerns about Aliona’s heart rate during labor were cited at the inquest in 2023 as contributing factors to her tragic death.

Dr Dan Lamb spoke out about what he saw as a pattern of systemic failings at the hospital, saying: “Leeds Hospital says it has learned its lessons, but babies continue to die for the same reasons.” . The same mistake is happening again. ”

Mr Rams also believes the CQC failed to hold the trust accountable despite raising safety concerns as early as November 2020.

Their frustrations are compounded by the fact that Sir Julian Hartley, who was Leeds’ CEO around the time of Aliona’s death, now oversees the CQC.

Dan Lamb said there was a “major conflict of interest” and questioned whether future CQC investigations would be conducted fairly given Mr Hartley’s new role.

A CQC spokesperson defended its independence, saying it had strong policies in place to manage potential conflicts of interest.

But the regulator’s response did little to allay the concerns of the families, who say the CQC failed to investigate properly.

More troubling details emerge from the experience of another family, Amarjit Kaur and Mandip Singh Matharu.

In February 2024, Amarjit, who was 32 weeks pregnant, visited Leeds General Hospital’s maternity unit twice within 24 hours complaining of severe abdominal pain.

Despite being in obvious pain, she was told on both occasions that she was simply experiencing ligament pain and was given painkillers and sent home both times.

A few days later, Amarjit underwent emergency surgery, where doctors discovered a large blood clot in the exact spot she had previously identified.

Her daughter Asees was stillborn on January 6, 2024. Amarjit and Mandip believe their baby could have been saved if the hospital had taken their concerns more seriously.

“It’s been the hardest year of my life,” Amarjit said of the loss.

Amarjit also feels that her treatment may have been influenced by her ethnicity. She believes she received different treatment than white patients who she heard receive more attention during similar visits.

“The only difference between me and her was the color of my skin,” she said.

The trust confirmed concerns about potential racism in care had been raised and were taken seriously.

The company said these concerns were reported to senior management for further investigation. But this has done little to ease the distress of families who feel their concerns are not being addressed as urgently as they need to be.

The whistleblowers also painted a picture of unsafe treatment at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, describing the service as “totally broken” due to chronic understaffing.

One clinical staff member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the impact of staffing shortages was all too evident as women and infants were not receiving the level of care they needed.

The trust insists it will continue to improve, emphasizing its role as a specialist center for the care of infants with complex conditions.

However, families and health professionals continue to call for a more comprehensive review of the trust’s maternity services.

CQC’s Interim Chief Inspector for Health Chris Zikiti said the trust’s maternity services were under “close monitoring” and an inspection had recently been carried out.

Claire Harmer, chief executive of newborn charity Sands, told BBC Breakfast this morning:[on these stories] are the same. Parents do not listen to what they say, and this is true not only during childbirth and pregnancy, but also afterwards.

“Individual health care providers want to provide the best care, but this is a systems issue, and I think the current system makes it very difficult for them to provide the care that they want.”

“I think obstetric and neonatal care needs to be a priority for the government and the NHS.

“One way to do that would be to have a national ambition and goal to reduce infant deaths.”

Results of these tests are expected to be released soon.