56 baby deaths at Leeds Hospitals may have been preventable: Report
Leeds recorded the highest neonatal mortality rate in the UK, with 4.46 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, compared to 3.30 in 2017.
The data revealed 27 stillbirths and 29 neonatal deaths where trust review groups identified care issues that could have changed outcomes. (Photo: iStock)
Vivek Mishra works as an Assistant Editor with Eastern Eye and has over 13 years of experience in journalism. His areas of interest include politics, international affairs, current events, and sports. With a background in newsroom operations and editorial planning, he has reported and edited stories on major national and global developments.
AT LEAST 56 baby deaths and two maternal deaths at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust since 2019 may have been preventable, according to a BBC investigation.
The findings, based on Freedom of Information data and whistleblower accounts, raise concerns about maternity safety at the trust’s units at Leeds General Infirmary and St James's University Hospital.
The data revealed 27 stillbirths and 29 neonatal deaths where trust review groups identified care issues that could have changed outcomes. The reviews also included two maternal deaths.
The trust stated that most births were safe, attributing its high neonatal mortality rate to its role as a specialist centre for complex cases.
Leeds recorded the highest neonatal mortality rate in the UK, with 4.46 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, compared to 3.30 in 2017, reported BBC.
MBRRACE-UK data shows the trust's rate is 70 per cent higher than comparable NHS trusts. The trust cited an increase in complex pregnancies and babies with severe cardiac conditions as contributing factors.
Parents who lost their children during this period have expressed concerns about the trust’s practices. Fiona and Dan Ramm, whose baby Aliona Grace died in January 2020, blamed delays in care for their daughter’s death.
An inquest in 2023 found "gross failures of the most basic nature" had contributed to the tragedy. The couple believes the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has not held the trust accountable.
Another family, Amarjit Kaur and Mandip Singh Matharoo, reported being sent home despite severe abdominal pain during pregnancy.
Their daughter Asees was stillborn in January 2024, with a trust review identifying care issues. Amarjit raised concerns about racial discrimination, stating she was treated differently due to her Indian ethnicity, BBC reported.
Whistleblowers have also highlighted unsafe practices. Lisa Elliott, a former maternity support worker, described "chaotic" care and a failure to listen to patients. An anonymous staff member described chronic understaffing and a "broken" system.
The trust's chief executive, Prof Phil Wood, apologised to families, citing its role as a specialist centre for treating the most critically ill babies.
Meanwhile, the CQC stated it is reviewing evidence from families and recently inspected the trust’s maternity services, with findings pending.
The Department of Health and Social Care pledged to support improvements in maternity care, including training more midwives to ensure safe and compassionate care.
Shabana Mahmood has vowed to overhaul the Home Office after a report exposed serious failings and a culture of dysfunction within the department. (Photo: Getty Images)
Home Secretary says the Home Office is “not yet fit for purpose”
Report by former adviser Nick Timothy found a “culture of defeatism”
Civil servants accused of wasting time on “identity politics”
Mahmood vows to rebuild the department to “deliver for this country”
HOME SECRETARY Shabana Mahmood has said the Home Office is “not yet fit for purpose” after an internal report described it as dysfunctional and detached from its core functions.
Mahmood, who took office last month, saidthat the department had been “set up to fail” but said she was working to rebuild it so it “delivers for this country”.
Her comments follow a report uncovered by The Times, written by former Home Office special adviser Nick Timothy, now a Conservative MP.
Commissioned in 2022 by then home secretary Suella Braverman, the report found a “culture of defeatism” on immigration and failings that hindered work on crime and small boat crossings.
Timothy was granted access to the department and its staff for a two-month review. He found “too much time is wasted” on identity politics and social issues, with civil servants spending working hours in “listening circles” to discuss personal and political views.
The report criticised the asylum and immigration system as “lethargic”, citing a backlog of 166,000 asylum cases and interviews delayed for up to two years.
Timothy said some officials refused to work in immigration because they were “ethically” opposed to border control or feared blame when issues arose.
He also pointed to outdated data and technology systems and rejected calls to split up the department, urging instead for urgent investment in modern systems.
Mahmood said: “This report, written under the last Government, is damning. To those who have encountered the Home Office in recent years, the revelations are all too familiar. The Home Office is not yet fit for purpose, and has been set up for failure.”
A senior source told the BBC that Permanent Secretary Antonia Romeo plans to make the Home Office “the ‘blue-chip’ department of Whitehall, and the destination department for top talent”.
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