East Kent trust failed to act on risks in maternity care raised by investigators

A hospital trust was “inappropriately slow” to act after a series of investigations into poor maternity care showed that the same patient safety risks were occurring again and again, a report by the NHS Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) has found.1

The HSIB took over responsibility in April 2018 for investigating serious maternity incidents in England. The branch’s investigations into care at East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust found four areas of risk: interpretation of cardiotocograph (CTG) monitoring, neonatal resuscitation, recognition of deterioration, and escalation of concerns.

Investigators highlighted these risks with the trust in December 2018 …