Calls for inquiry as senior managers fail to share damning report into Welsh maternity services

Senior managers at Cwm Taf University Health Board have been criticised for failing to share a damning report into its maternity services at two Welsh hospitals – the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil and the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant.

The report by a consultant midwife highlighted systematic failures in clinical care, inadequate reporting of incidents, missed opportunities for improvement and raised staff concerns about a “punitive culture of blame” within its units.

However, it has now come to light that senior managers at Cwm Taf did not share the midwife’s report with the wider health board when it was initially completed.

Instead, there was a six-month delay until a separate investigation by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives uncovered the full extent of the health board’s shocking failings.

Phillip Gower, a specialist serious personal injury lawyer from Novum Law’s Cardiff office, who is currently helping several mothers with birth injury medical negligence claims involving Welsh maternity units, said:

“It is completely unacceptable that the report into the poor standard of care provided by the maternity services of Cwm Taf University Health Board was not immediately acted upon, putting more mothers and babies’ lives at risk and potentially causing devastating, life-changing injuries.”

“Healthcare providers have a legal duty of candour to be honest and open when something goes wrong, however in this case, clinicians have been anything but. That’s why we are calling for a wider inquiry into maternity services in Wales so that parents can get the answers they desperately need and ensure that lessons are learnt so that others do not have to suffer the distress and heartbreak they have endured.”

Phillip and his team are urging parents who have suffered due to poor standards of care or mistakes made during their time in maternity units to seek specialist legal advice.

He added: “The birth of a new baby should be one of the most joyful moments of your life. However, if the level of care you’ve received was below an acceptable standard and you or your baby was seriously injured, a compensation claim can help you access specialist rehabilitation, therapies, additional care and support and any equipment you need to make life easier.”

If you have concerns about the treatment you and your baby have received at the Prince Charles Hospital, the Royal Glamorgan Hospital or any other healthcare setting, Novum Law’s team of specialist medical negligence lawyers can help on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis.

To find out more information, contact Phillip Gower at Novum Law in Cardiff on: 02920 508 177 or email: pgower@novumlaw.com.