The Health and Social Care Secretary, Yvette Cooper has set out immediate actions to strengthen patient safety, safeguarding and accountability across the NHS, following the publication of Lady Justice Thirlwall’s final report into the Countess of Chester Hospital.
The Thirlwall Inquiry found serious failures of governance, leadership and safeguarding, with opportunities missed to act on concerns and protect babies from harm.
Responding to the findings in Parliament, Yvette Cooper said safeguarding must be at the heart of the NHS and that the government would act on the inquiry’s recommendations to help prevent such failures happening again.
Whilst considering the inquiry’s recommendations in full, the government has begun work on a series of measures, including:
• Urgent work to develop plans for CCTV, including ‘cot cams’, in neonatal settings to improve safety and provide reassurance to parents
• New guidance on the safe use and storage of insulin and strengthened guidance for medical examiners reviewing neonatal deaths
• Plans to regulate NHS managers through a barring scheme for senior leaders who fail in their responsibilities
• Continued rollout of the National Bereavement Care Pathway for families experiencing neonatal loss, with all NHS trusts now signed up to implement it
• Creation of a single tracker to monitor delivery of recommendations from major maternity and neonatal reviews and inquiries, helping ensure reforms are implemented and progress is transparent.
Addressing Parliament, Yvette Cooper acknowledged that many things have changed since the events at the Countess of Chester Hospital, however, the inquiry is clear that new action is needed.
“I take these recommendations extremely seriously and the government will of course consider the entire report and set out a full response,” she says.
“Safeguarding is everyone’s business, and safeguarding must be everyone’s priority. Concerns must be heard and acted upon. Staff who speak up must be protected and taken seriously, and I expect every leader, every board across the NHS, every professional and manager, every member of staff to uphold their safeguarding responsibilities.”
The Secretary of State also announced that safeguarding will be placed at the centre of the forthcoming Babies, Children and Young People’s Modern Service Framework, underlining the government’s commitment to making the safety of babies and children a core priority across the health service.
