Released 14 September 2022
Request:
Your Trust has received several “letters of concern” from the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) regarding maternity services since 1 April 2018. These letters are sent when there is serious and urgent concern about patient safety. Please disclose the concerns outlined in each letter you received.
Information disclosed:
Please note University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust has been in operation since 1 April 2021, following the merger of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Prior to the merger Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust received four letters from the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) regarding its maternity services between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2021.
Information relevant to these four letters has been provided below. The overview of concerns raised arose from the collective summary of clinical cases referred to HSIB for investigation as per nationally agreed eligibility criteria.
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust has not received any letters from the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch regarding its maternity services since it was formed on 1 April 2021.
Table showing information relevant to four letters received by BSUH
| Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (BSUH) | ||
| Legacy Trust/Hospital Site | Date Letter Sent | Overview of Concerns Raised |
| BSUH – RSCH | March 2019 | Maternal obs not taken in labour; IA not in line with guidance; delay in escalation of foetal bradycardia |
| BSUH – All | March 2019 | Focus on normality; lack of obstetric leadership; lack of recognition of clinical risk; labour ward coordinators as gatekeepers |
| BSUH – PRH | March 2021 | Delay in medical review; no FH monitoring; no categorisation of FM CS; concerns re handover; focus on sepsis and other diagnosis not considered |
| BSUH – All | March 2021 | Each Baby Counts numbers not available |