Scottish Government
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Morecambe Bay Investigation
Response to findings on maternity and neonatal services
Maureen Watt, Minister for Public Health, said:
"The Morecambe Bay Inquiry report has identified significant failures in care and clinical practice, and also a catalogue of missed opportunities to intervene by a number of agencies. I would like to express my deepest sympathies to all the families affected.
"It is absolutely vital that the lessons of the report are learned, not just in Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, but right across the whole of our NHS.
"Scotland’s health service offers excellent and safe care to mothers and babies, and our NHS staff do a tremendous job to deliver that service. But that does not mean that we are complacent, and we are already taking action to ensure that patient care and safety in maternity and neonatal services remain an absolute priority.
"Two years ago we established a collaborative, the Maternity and Children Quality Improvement Collaborative, to lead the way on patient safety in maternity, neonatal and paediatric care. This Collaborative is already making some significant progress to improve services and keep safety at the top of the agenda.
"Last week we announced a refresh of our approach to maternity and neonatal services which will ensure that every mother and baby continues to get the best possible care from Scotland’s health service. Through this process we will assess the latest evidence and best practice to enhance services and increase the choice available to pregnant women across Scotland’s NHS.
"We will closely examine the recommendations in the Morecambe Bay report as part of that review. We will also be writing to all NHS boards in Scotland to ask them to carefully consider the report and whether there are any immediate lessons that can be learned."
