Hospital trust apologises for stillbirth reporting errors

A hospital trust has apologised to families for sharing incorrect data around the number of stillbirths experienced by mothers in their care.

The figures, from Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust, were presented in a report on maternity services for the county's joint health overview scrutiny committee (JHOSC) in January.

But after concerns were raised by the Families Failed by OUH group over inaccurate figures for stillbirth babies in 2023, the committee asked for further clarification.

The trust's interim chief executive, Simon Crowther, has now written to JHOSC, acknowledging the mistakes and apologising for the distress it may have caused families.

OUH is responsible for maternity services at both the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

The trust is part of a national review into failings around maternity care, announced by the government last November.

A BBC investigation has since found that 58 babies could have been saved with better levels of care.

The reporting error in January showed the number of still births for 2022, rather than 2023.

Following the discovery of the incorrect data, the scrutiny committee wrote to OUH, asking for clarity around the figures.

In Crowther's letter, he said the mistake was corrected within two weeks of being found and OUH has since "strengthened internal sign-off processes to prevent future errors".

Rebecca Matthews, co-founder of Families Failed by OUH, said she welcomed the apology but claimed further details were withheld from the committee at the January meeting.

"Local accountability mechanisms for OUH maternity services have failed the families we represent," she added.

The health overview scrutiny committee has now offered a "facilitation exercise" to help discussions between OUH and the families concerned.