Key Highlights
- The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) criticized the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for weak oversight in university midwifery programs.
- A study by The BMJ found that coroners’ recommendations following maternal deaths are frequently ignored, with nearly two-thirds having no documented action taken.
- Jeremy Hunt discussed the need to address safety issues and the importance of implementing recommendations from coroners’ reports.
- The government is launching a new Men’s Health Strategy to tackle inequalities in male health outcomes.
Maternity Safety and Midwifery Education
In recent weeks, maternity safety has once again taken center stage. A thorough investigation by journalist Shaun Lintern for The Sunday Times has highlighted serious concerns regarding the quality of university midwifery programs. The findings have prompted a strong response from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), which criticized the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for inadequate oversight.
The RCM’s chief executive, Gill Walton, emphasized that midwifery students need a system that prepares them for modern maternity care.
She stated, “Midwifery students should be supported by a system that prepares them for the realities of modern maternity care. Right now, weak and inconsistent oversight from the NMC is failing midwifery education – for those delivering it, for students, and for women and families.”
One student midwife, quoted in Lintern’s article, expressed concerns about a heavy emphasis on normal births at the expense of safety: “There is a lot of emphasis on normal births. There’s so little care about safety from that education side that I don’t know how we can expect midwives to be so focused on safety. It’s almost like you’re being set up to fail a lot of the time.”
Coroner Recommendations and Patient Safety
The issue of coroner recommendations not being acted upon has also garnered attention. A new analysis in The BMJ revealed that nearly two-thirds of Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) reports following maternal deaths have no documented action taken. This is a concerning statistic, as the report highlights recurring issues such as failures in escalation and gaps in monitoring, staffing, and training.
According to the study, these recommendations could be unlawful given that organizations are legally required to respond within 56 days.
However, more worryingly, there is a pattern of recommendations gathering dust without proper implementation. Jeremy Hunt, speaking on this issue, emphasized the need for a system that logs and prioritizes recommendations with accountability.
Hunt stated: “We desperately need a system that logs and prioritises recommendations with proper accountability for implementing them.” He noted that sticking to national safety initiatives can often result in box-ticking exercises by the time they reach the front line. This sentiment was echoed by Lorin Lakasing, who wrote an excellent book on this very issue.
Men’s Health Strategy and Patient Safety Initiatives
Moving beyond maternity care, Jeremy Hunt also discussed the government’s new Men’s Health Strategy. The strategy aims to address long-standing inequalities that leave men at higher risk of early death, suicide, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Key measures include funding for local men’s health projects, improved training for NHS staff, and targeted research in areas with poor male health outcomes.
Hunt highlighted the statistic that suicide is the single leading cause of death for men under 50.
He added: “Hospitals continued using high-risk heart devices despite clear evidence showing higher risks of complications.” This issue was further investigated by a BBC News report, which revealed that two major transplant centers in Newcastle and London continued to use the Medtronic HVAD pump until it was withdrawn due to safety concerns.
The report also uncovered that cardiologists at these hospitals were paid consultants for the manufacturer, raising questions about conflicts of interest. Hunt concluded: “If information is available about known patient safety risks, shouldn’t there also be an active duty on healthcare providers to proactively inform patients and families?”
Conclusion
Jeremy Hunt’s Patient Safety Watch serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges in ensuring patient safety across various sectors. From midwifery education to coroner recommendations, and from men’s health to medical device use, there is much work to be done. As Hunt stated: “Success is not final… it is the courage to continue that counts.” The coming months will see whether these initiatives lead to tangible improvements in patient safety.
