Our response to the Thirwall Inquiry
The findings of the Thirlwall Inquiry are difficult reading for everyone.
Above all, our thoughts are with the families at the heart of this report and we extend our deepest sympathies to them.
At gesh, we’ll be looking carefully at the Inquiry’s findings and recommendations, and giving serious thought to what more we need to do, to keep our patients safe.
We are extremely proud of our neonatal and maternity colleagues and the exceptional care they provide, but we can all learn from this.
Patients and families should expect us to be open with them when something goes wrong, to listen when something doesn’t feel right, and to explain what we’re doing about it.
If you are a patient or a family member, we have systems in place to help you raise concerns.
You can invoke Martha’s Rule, where you can call a dedicated number to request a rapid review from a different team.
Every hospital also has a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), which provides a point of contact for patients, their families and their carers – it’s there to help you resolve concerns or problems and can support you through the NHS complaints process.
The Thirlwall Inquiry recognised the importance of Board-level oversight of maternity and neonatal services. We have significantly strengthened the role of our Non-Executive Directors in providing this, alongside increased participation of external panel members to our maternal and neonatal mortality review meetings.
There is always more we can do. We are committed to remaining a Trust that is open and always learning, and will continue listening to our patients, families and colleagues about how this may affect them.
