3 hours ago
2
PA Media
Streeting said helium wanted to guarantee 'there are nary repeats of these unimaginable tragedies'.
Wes Streeting has praised bereaved parents successful Leeds who person called for an urgent reappraisal into maternity information successful the city, and called their grounds "shocking and chilling".
Responding to a missive from the families, the wellness caput did not perpetrate to a reappraisal - but said helium was determined to "fix our maternity services" and it was "completely unacceptable" that these parents and babies had "not received the attraction they deserve".
The missive followed a BBC investigation that recovered that, implicit the past 5 years, the deaths of astatine slightest 56 babies and 2 mothers astatine Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust whitethorn person been prevented.
LTH said the immense bulk of births astatine its 2 maternity units were safe, and deaths of mothers and babies were precise rare.
In a statement, the wellness caput said that portion "change volition not hap overnight", helium was determined to "take swift enactment to guarantee each women and babies person safe, personalised and compassionate care, truthful determination are nary repeats of these unimaginable tragedies".
Among those who signed the missive were Fiona Winser-Ramm and Dan Ramm, whose baby, Aliona Grace, died astatine Leeds General Infirmary successful 2020, lone 27 minutes aft she was born.
An inquest 3 years aboriginal recovered a "number of gross failures of the astir basal quality that straight contributed to Aliona's death".
The couple, who connected with different bereaved parents aft mounting up a Facebook group, judge determination are galore much affected.
The BBC probe utilized a Freedom of Information petition to get information from the spot showing perchance preventable babe deaths.
This revealed astatine slightest 56 cases betwixt January 2019 and July 2024 - 27 stillbirths and 29 neonatal deaths (deaths wrong 28 days of birth) astatine the city's General Infirmary and St James's University Hospital.
The families' missive to the wellness caput said that specified figures were "truly shocking for specified a abbreviated play of time".
LTH told the BBC that determination were an expanding fig of analyzable pregnancies and births successful the portion - including an summation successful babies calved with terrible cardiac conditions.
The spot said the fig of neonatal deaths it had recorded arsenic perchance avoidable was "very small".
Winser-Ramm Family
Aliona Grace died successful 2020, 27 minutes aft she was born
The 2 Leeds maternity units are rated "good" by England's healthcare regulator, the CQC, but 2 whistleblowers person told the BBC they judge the units are unsafe.
One experienced objective unit member, speaking anonymously, described the work arsenic "completely broken" with chronic understaffing that near women and babies "not getting the attraction we privation them to get".
The bereaved families person told the BBC they don't deliberation immoderate aboriginal probe astatine Leeds by the CQC could beryllium independent, due to the fact that the trust's erstwhile main executive, Sir Julian Hartley, is present successful complaint of the regulator. The CQC says it has "robust policies successful spot to negociate immoderate struggle of interest".
In their missive to Wes Streeting, the families said they wanted an "open publication reappraisal that leaves nary chromatic unturned", and called for it to beryllium carried retired by Donna Ockenden, the midwife who chaired autarkic reviews into maternity services astatine trusts successful Shropshire and Nottingham.
English (US)