DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Cover-up culture led to needless heartache
The birth of a child is arguably the most stressful time in any woman's life.
While everyone expects to joyously welcome a precious new bundle into being, no one is under any illusion that things can go dreadfully wrong.
Even so, for expectant mothers and babies there ought to be few safer places than a hospital maternity unit.
At such a vulnerable time, they should be able to depend on professional staff to guide them through the challenges of childbirth.
When things don't go according to plan, it is of course devastating. But the trauma is unimaginable when a tragedy turns out to be entirely avoidable.
So the scandal at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust is not just horrific; it is a stain on the NHS.
When things don't go according to plan, it is of course devastating. But the trauma is unimaginable when a tragedy turns out to be entirely avoidable. Rhiannon Davies (left) is pictured embracing Kayleigh Griffiths, following the release of the report
Donna Ockenden is to be commended for her forensic report identifying a catalogue of lethal and life-ruining failures. Excoriating and harrowing, it pulls no punches.
Nine mothers and 201 babies could have survived if the trust had provided better care – making it Britain's worst maternity outrage.
Countless others suffered severe brain damage or other disabilities because of catastrophic blunders on wards.
In one distressing case, clinical information was kept on Post-it notes – only to be swept into a bin by cleaners with tragic consequences for a baby and her family.
Dogmatic midwives obsessed with natural births failed to raise the alarm during complications. Parents flagging up safety fears were ignored. A bullying culture meant staff were scared to blow the whistle.
The report also exposes horrendous callousness. Medical staff pointed the finger of blame at grieving mothers. Lessons from secretive internal investigations were not learned.
Instead, arrogant hospital bosses covered up mistakes and ineptitude. Despicably, self-preservation trumped patient care.
The grotesque upshot? Instead of bringing new life into the world, Shrewsbury and Telford was complicit in snuffing it out.
Of course, without the bravery and determination of bereaved parents, the wrongdoing would have remained hidden.
The report also exposes horrendous callousness. Medical staff pointed the finger of blame at grieving mothers. Lessons from secretive internal investigations were not learned. Instead, arrogant hospital bosses covered up mistakes and ineptitude. Despicably, self-preservation trumped patient care. A copy of the report is pictured above
But as Jeremy Hunt, who as health secretary instigated the Ockenden Review, asks: 'Is it morally right that we need families to have to campaign for decades to get to the truth as to why their child died?'
Equally, no paper has done more than the Mail to expose this shameful saga.
For our trouble, we were maliciously smeared as liars and scaremongers by managers. But these pernicious tactics backfired. Now the truth is out.
With police investigating 600 cases, Health Secretary Sajid Javid says those responsible for the disgrace will be held to account.
We sincerely hope so. So far only two midwives have carried the can. Senior managers, on the other hand, have landed lucrative new jobs (one, incredibly, advising the NHS on 'patient safety'). Talk about adding insult to injury!
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Mr Javid also vows that no more families 'will have to go through the same pain'.
Forgive us for weary cynicism, but haven't we heard all this before? From Morecambe Bay to East Kent, the fatal complacency of state maternity services has been laid bare for years. Yet horror stories persist.
This raises profound questions about the sacred cow of the NHS. This paper doesn't question the thousands of caring and conscientious doctors, nurses and midwives who deliver babies safely every day.
But they are let down by a few bad apples, defensive and bureaucratic management, and an unwieldy, outdated healthcare model.
As a first step to reform, Mr Javid must dismantle the culture of silence and blame pervasive across maternity units, and instil one of transparency.
Far too many families have already been needlessly bereaved. He must make it his legacy that this scandal is not repeated.
The little girl whose deadly infection was ignored by midwives... just one of the hundreds of heart-breaking tragedies from the NHS maternity scandal that saw 201 babies and nine mothers lose their lives
