Stillbirths prompt national alert protocols at Northampton General Hospital
“The alerts reflect statistical variation requiring review rather than evidence that the service is unsafe”
Four stillbirths in one month at Northampton General Hospital have triggered a national early warning alert for maternity care.
In August the hospital saw four stillbirths, with one neonatal death in the preceding three months, meaning a baby died within 28 days of being born.
The deaths prompted a Maternity Outcomes Signal System alert, which was set up to monitor safety in hospital units. Another alert has now been issued for October, though details to what prompted the secondary alert are not yet available.
The Maternity Outcomes Signal System, launched nationally in December, monitors data to spot safety issues in maternity units. It flags concerns about stillbirths, neonatal deaths and severe brain injuries and requires trusts to perform urgent safety checks.
Sarah Jamieson, University Hospital Northampton (UHN) director of midwifery, says the alerts came after months with no deaths or major safety concerns.
She said: “We can confirm Northampton General Hospital had two Maternity Outcomes Signal System alerts in August and October this year on a national electronic surveillance tool which is used to identify potential issues and encourage investigation at an early stage.
“Because our service had experienced several months with very low or no adverse outcomes, even a small cluster of cases was sufficient to trigger the national surveillance thresholds.
“The alerts therefore reflect statistical variation requiring review rather than evidence that the service is unsafe, but the alerts do trigger investigative actions and as a result we undertook a structured safety check, including an external review by NHS England Maternity Improvement Advisors, which found no new or previously unidentified system-wide patient safety concerns.
“We fully recognise the devastating impact of baby loss and remain committed to learning from every case to support the safest possible care.”
The August alert led to a review which the hospital says confirmed ‘appropriate escalation, scrutiny and organisational learning’.
UHN’s board of directors reported no stillbirths were recorded in September and the majority of incidents resulted in low or no harm.