Hospital bosses have been ordered to make urgent improvements to maternity care at Royal Stoke Hospital following concerns mothers and babies were put at risk.

A special administrator could be called in if University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) NHS Trust fails to comply with the warning notice issued by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Concerns were raised about triage processes and management of delays in labour induction following an inspection visit in March, a UHNM board meeting heard on Wednesday (May 3). A previous meeting heard that there had been 31 neonatal deaths in 2021 and 19 in 2022.

Concerns were raised about triage processes and management of delays in labour induction (SWNS).

The letter from the CQC to the trust's chief executive Tracy Bullock said: "Following the inspection on 7 March 2023, we had urgent concerns. We have concluded that significant improvement is still required to ensure service users receive safe care.

"You do not have effective systems in place to ensure staff effectively assess, document and respond to ongoing risks associated with safely triaging service users attempting to access care in line with trust policy. This exposed service users and their babies to risk of harm.

"You do not have effective systems in place to ensure the safe management of delays for service users due for an induction of labour. Prioritisation processes to ensure risks associated with delays to induction of labour were escalated, monitored and effectively managed were unclear; this exposes service users and their babies to risk of harm.

"Despite changes being made, systems and process will not yet be embedded, and risk changes may be ineffective in addressing the concerns discussed. You are required to make the significant improvements identified regarding the quality of healthcare by 30th June 2023.

"If you fail to comply with the requirement and thereby fail to make significant improvement to the quality of the health care you provide within the given timescale(s) we will decide what further action to take against you. Possible action includes requiring Monitor, now known as NHS England and NHS Improvement, to make an order under Section 65D (2) of the National Health Service Act 2006 (appointment of trust special administrator)."

Royal Stoke Hospital was inspected on 7 March 2023 (SWNS).

Health campaigner Ian Syme asked board members at Wednesday's meeting if they acknowledged mothers and babies had received "suboptimal care". He added: "One woman receiving such care is one too many".

But board chairman David Wakefield said: "I can't recognise that term in terms of what I have seen." He also asked if mothers and babies were safe and if there was confidence that the actions required by the CQC were being put in place.

Chief nurse Ann-Marie Riley said that the trust had been aware of the issues before the notice was issued and measures were being taken to address them. She added that mothers and babies were safe.

She said: "We want to provide timely care but it hasn't resulted in harm. We have seen significant improvements which is making a difference. We still have some work to do and we need to embed that work and provide evidence to the CQC."

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