Basildon Hospital Maternity Services Claims

Basildon Hospital and its maternity care unit are operated by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. Unfortunately concerns over the care provided at maternity units within this Trust have been ongoing for a number of years.

In 2020 Basildon Hospital’s maternity unit was rated inadequate. A report found damningly that the maternity service “did not always have enough staff to keep women safe”.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessed maternity services in an unannounced inspection at Basildon Hospital in December 2021 which concluded further improvements were required.

Basildon Hospital’s maternity services 2022 inspection

A further inspection of maternity services at Basildon Hospital was carried out in 2022, as the CQC received information which alerted them to concerns about the safety and quality of the maternity service.

In this review, which was published in December 2022, the CQC once again raised concerns with staffing levels in the maternity services at the Trust. It was stated that the Trust needed to develop ways of minimising the risk to its patients.

It was found that waiting times from referral to treatment were not always in line with national standards. The report found that women were not always triaged in line with target times, neither could they always access the maternity service when they needed it. This meant they did not receive the right care promptly. In addition to this, not all staff had completed their mandatory training.

Raising maternity negligence claims

The number of maternity negligence claims and the level of damages paid out by the Trust over the last decade, may indicate a broader cultural or systemic issue. Mistakes have been made, but the ongoing issues suggest that perhaps not enough has been done to learn from errors made and prevent future mothers and babies being put at risk.

Stillborn and neonatal death claims

The death of a baby is a devastating time for parents and their families, but this news can be even more distressing if something has gone wrong with the management of the birth. In these situations, the outcome can be devastating and life changing for those involved.

In a significant number of stillbirths and neonatal deaths, nothing can be done to prevent this from happening. There are cases however, where better management during pregnancy or monitoring of a baby could have prevented the tragedy.

Every parent has a right to know what happened to their baby and our expert team of maternity negligence solicitors can help parents obtain the answers to their questions.

Get in touch with our expert maternity negligence solicitors

We offer free initial advice, to establish whether you may have a claim relating to Basildon Hospital’s maternity services.