Grieving parents have told of their heartbreak that maternity services are receiving the same rating from inspectors after concerns were initially raised five years ago.
West Sussex maternity units at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath and St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester were both re-rated by watchdog the Care Quality Commission last month as “requires improvement” following an inspection between October and December last year.
The maternity services, run by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, were first given that rating following a visit from the watchdog in 2021.
Kimberley Newark and Yann Trupiano lost their baby girl Olivia in September 2024 at the trust and believe the lack of improved rating is “really concerning”.
Ms Newark, 32, said: “We get told things have been put in place, but it’s not enough because it still requires improvement.”
“It is really concerning, it’s heartbreaking to hear,” she said, fearing that “there’s just going to be more and more issues that arise”.
“Obviously change doesn’t happen overnight, especially in such a huge trust, but you would have thought after five years there would have been some sort of change where the rating would have gone up, and if not, why?”
Mr Trupiano, 44, added he feels “tired” of hearing improvements are needed and the trust needs “walk the talk”.
Ms Newark went to the Princess Royal Hospital in September 2024 with “severe” pain but felt “dismissed” and she was told it could have been trapped wind.
The mother had a suspected ruptured splenic artery and an emergency c-section was carried out on September 14.
Olivia was born with severe hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy, a critical brain injury, and died several days later on September 19 at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.
Ms Newark said: “It ended in an awful situation where I nearly lost my life, and our daughter did.”
An inquest looking at the circumstances of her death is set to be heard in October this year.
A trust spokesperson said they are “desperately sorry” for the loss of Olivia and findings of two reviews into her care have been shared with family who they met with to discuss concerns, and are happy to meet again if the family wishes.
They hope the inquest will give the family greater clarity and closure, and the trust will “do everything we can to help the coroner address any remaining questions the family have”.
In the meantime the couple who live in Brighton are urging for more education around situations like theirs and that parents are listened to.
Ms Newark said: “I knew at that time, I wasn’t right. Something was wrong.
“I think the main thing at the moment is to really listen to patients and families.”
In the latest inspection of Princess Royal Hospital, inspectors rated the service as requires improvement for being safe, well-led and responsive, and good for being effective and caring.
They found a previous legal breach on staffing remained in that the service “did not have enough staff to keep women safe”.
Staff told inspectors they felt tired and burnt-out because of workforce pressures and demands on the service while shifts felt “increasingly overstretched”.
CQC deputy director of hospitals and specialist care in the south east Amanda Williams said: “At Princess Royal Hospital, equipment failures regularly forced the maternity operating theatre to close, causing delays to planned caesarean sections and increasing anxiety for women waiting for treatment.”
Inspectors, however, also received feedback from women and partners who were positive of the service, many feeling they had been treated with dignity and respect through their care.
Of both hospital units, Ms Williams added: “Staff should be proud of the care they continue to provide under significant pressure and we will continue to monitor both services closely to ensure women and their babies remain safe while improvements are made.”
But of the CQC, Ms Newark said: “They should be concerned by requires improvement and the fact that it keeps coming up. What’s the point in doing these reports and reviews if nothing’s being done about it?”
The re-ratings come as the government has announced a maternity review into University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust which will look at cases dating back to 2018, including all harmed and bereaved families.
Campaign group Truth for Our Babies, made up of affected families, had been calling for the move, which Ms Newark and Mr Trupiano are part of.
“It’s horrible to have to be a part of such a group, but it’s nice to know we aren’t necessarily alone and we can try and fight together,” Ms Newark said.
Maternity negligence specialist at Tees Law Gwyneth Munjoma said the CQC report shows why the maternity review in Sussex is needed to “enforce real accountability and change”.
Until then she said this is an urgent public health issue which “demands urgent intervention from the independent regulator now”.
The CQC said following its inspection, which found some progress was made but the trust needed to do more, it asked leaders to submit an action plan on how they will address specific issues.
“We have also made clear what regulatory action we will take if we’re not reassured by their plan,” a spokesperson said.
“NHS hospital maternity services are subject to close regulatory oversight.
“Where we have identified concerns about the quality and safety of care, we have held those trusts to account and required improvements to be made.”
They added they know there are families who feel the watchdog has not taken sufficient action to act on their concerns and they want to work with them to help “amplify our calls for greater efforts to strengthen maternity safety across the board”.
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Meanwhile, the hospital trust has said it “absolutely accepts” the CQC’s conclusion that further improvement is needed and they are working hard to address issues and improve care.
Gail Byrne, interim chief nurse at the trust, said: “We have increased theatre capacity and staffing levels, strengthened how we collect and monitor key safety information, and reviewed and updated policies and clinical guidance – these changes all represent progress, but we know this vital work must continue.
“We know there is more to do, for everyone using our services.
“Listening to women and families, learning from their experiences and acting on what they tell us will remain at the heart of our commitment to providing safe, compassionate and high-quality care for every family."
She added the trust welcomes the CQC’s recognition of many improvements made in recent years, the maternity team’s compassion and dedication to their work, and positive feedback from women and their loved ones.
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