Unit cleared over mother deaths

Standards of care at the unit were found to be well above average

Three mothers who died at a maternity unit which was severely criticised did not receive poor treatment, an inquiry has concluded.

Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, north-west London, was put in special measures after 10 mothers died between 2002-05 following a string of errors.

But an independent review into three maternal deaths over the last 16 months showed treatment had improved.

It also found the deaths could not have been prevented by "better attention".

Different story

Fiona Wise, chief executive of The North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, said while they welcomed the findings they could not be complacent.

"A number of years after a very critical Healthcare Commission report into our maternity services, this tells a very different story, and one that we welcome.

We note the findings that the deaths did not result from deficiencies in care, although the review did highlight some important areas for improvement Nigel Ellis, head of investigations at the Healthcare Commission

"We must be very mindful of the fact that this report was into three maternal deaths and two other serious cases, and therefore we cannot be in any way complacent about what the panel has found."

She said all recommendations would be implemented as a "matter of urgency".

The report, which did not name the three mothers, said: "Care on the delivery suite was of a high standard, with better than average consultant involvement and excellent plans of care by midwives following antenatal admission.

"Processes for logging calls to labour ward were good and supervisors of midwives were appropriately informed."

Nigel Ellis, head of investigations at the Healthcare Commission, described the review as sufficiently "independent and robust".

He said: "We note the findings that the deaths did not result from deficiencies in care, although the review did highlight some important areas for improvement.

"This is a very different trust to the one we investigated three years ago."

Investment programme

The maternity unit was placed in special measures in 2005 after the death rate for new mothers was found to be much higher than the national average.

A subsequent report found the hospital lacked resources to deal with high-risk cases and that there were too few consultant obstetricians, midwives and dedicated theatre staff.

It also criticised the level of care in nine out of 10 deaths between April 2002 and April 2005.

Following a £19m investment programme to improve facilities the unit was lifted out of special measures in 2006.

A maternal death has been described as the death of a mother during pregnancy or within 42 days of delivery.