Maternity Incentive Scheme: the scandal of hospital false safety claims

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Maternity Incentive Scheme: the scandal of hospital false safety claims

Maternity safety has been an area of focus for the government and NHS over the past years.  Ministers have recognised that incidents resulting in injuries caused to babies and their mothers can be catastrophic for the families concerned. 

As well as having life-changing consequences, these incidents lead to clinical negligence claims brought in respect of substandard maternity care also account for a substantial proportion of NHS liability in respect of clinical negligence claims.

With the aim of improving standards of care, in 2018, the Maternity Incentive Scheme was introduced. The scheme enabled NHS trusts to claim financial rewards if they could demonstrate that they have achieved 10 safety actions. 

These actions included compliance with the Saving Babies Lives” care bundle which was introduced in 2016.

Trusts which have failed to achieve all 10 actions are offered tailored support to assist them in achieving full compliance. 

Unfortunately, it has recently emerged that seven NHS Trusts have now been forced to repay a total of £8.5 million after self-assessments in recent years were found to be false.

Some of these trusts have been involved in high profile scandals whilst others have been subject to safety concerns raised by the Care Quality Commission. 

Clearly, this recent news raises a number of concerns. Of paramount importance is the standard of maternity services within those trusts. However, the news also raises concerns about the reasons for the false claims, as well as questions about the adequacy of the verification process in place at that time. 

The scheme will continue to play a significant role in seeking to improve maternity services.  However, as with all other safety schemes, the execution and validity of any assessments of services, will be absolutely key.

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