Hospitals 'not learning lessons' from baby deaths, report suggests

Hospital's urged to learn lessons to cut number of babies dying during labour. Credit: Andrew Matthews / PA Wire

Several hospitals are not learning lessons from babies dying or receiving serious injuries during labour, a new report suggests.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has called for more robust reviews after it found that around half of local investigations into labour-related baby deaths are "inadequate".

The research, conducted as part of the College's 'Each Baby Counts' initiative, also discovered that the majority of parents are not being invited to contribute to such reviews, while many are unaware that they have even taken place.

Health Minister Ben Gummer said that the findings were "unacceptable" adding that the NHS is expected to learn from every case.

Judith Abela, acting chief executive of the stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands, said it had "been calling for a robust and effective review process for some time".

Professor Alan Cameron, RCOG's co-principal investigator for 'Each Baby Counts', added: "Stillbirth rates in the UK remain high and our current data indicate that nearly 1,000 babies a year die or are left severely disabled because of potentially avoidable harm in labour.

"When the outcome for parents is the devastating loss of a baby, or a baby born with a severe brain injury, there can be little justification for the poor quality of reviews."