Lessons from the East Kent report
A message from our Directory of Midwifery, Heidi Beddall and Chief Nurse, Karen Bonner
The East Kent Report “Reading the Signals: Maternity and Neonatal Services in East Kent – the report of an independent investigation” has been published on October 19th 2022. The investigation at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) at Margate and the William Harvey Hospital (WHH) in Ashford was commissioned following concerns raised by bereaved families.
The report reviewed care between 2009 and 2020 and found that there were failings in care that caused harm and distress to women, babies and their families.
We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the families that have been affected and to thank them for their strength and tenacity for speaking out. It is a reminder to all NHS organisations of the importance of creating an open and honest learning culture where we listen to our patients, and colleagues, and learn lessons when things go wrong.
We, at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, are committed to ensuring the safety of all our patients and colleagues. We will look in-depth at what lessons we can learn from the East Kent Report, not just for our maternity services but for the Trust as a whole and will look to implement these as a matter of priority.
Heidi Beddall, Karen Bonner,
Director of Midwifery Chief Nurse