Bereaved grandfather says Kent hospital staff removed name badges in wake of baby death
Report by ITV News Meridian's Kit Bradshaw
A bereaved grandfather has claimed that hospital staff at East Kent Hospitals Trust removed their name badges in an attempt to prevent him from finding out what happened in a scandal-hit maternity unit.
Baby Ashton was stillborn at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford in 2012, and is one of 202 cases featured by the damning Kirkup Report into failings in maternity care at the Trust.
It concluded that up to 45 babies would most likely have survived if they had received care in line with national guidelines.
Grandfather Phil Linehan told ITV News Meridian: “There were absolute failings in clinical care almost from the get-go, on this particular case, and then when we brought those failings during the pregnancy and after the death of Ashton to the management, the management disregarded it.
“The senior nurse at the time said, ‘Everyone take your name badges off, this guy is taking everybody's names’.”
Mr Linehan was speaking after a board meeting of the East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust, where senior leaders formally accepted the report and its recommendations. Questions were taken from members of the public and independent governors.
One member of the public told the board: “This trust is in complete present denial at the size of the problem."
Responding to criticism, chairman Niall Dickson, said: “I don’t think this is easy, changing culture and behaviours will take us time.
“But if we can work with you and work with our governors, non-executive colleagues and executive colleagues, I’m optimistic we can bring this about.”
Chief Executive Tracey Fletcher told the public meeting: “We are absolutely committed to having a board that recognises the issues we are presented with, understands the reality of that and can find a way forward over the next days, weeks and months.”
Mr Linehan told the board during the meeting that he “hadn’t heard anything from you today that sounds like leadership”.
Patients with concerns about maternity services can contact the East Kent Hospitals Trust maternity enquiries line on 01233 616 162 or by emailing ekhuft.maternityinvestigationenquiries@nhs.net.