FAMILIES who lost loved ones as a result of failings at a Cumbria hospital are backing an MP's call to oversee changes.

Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock has appealed to the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust (UHMBT) for the recommendations in the damning Kirkup report into mother and baby deaths at Furness General Hospital to be implemented in an 'open and accountable manner'.

In a letter to UHMBT chief executive Jackie Daniel, Mr Woodcock called for the families who suffered tragic losses at the hospital's maternity unit to be involved in the implementation by way of a committee.

"The hospital trust needs to act in as transparent a manner as possible to demonstrate clearly to the public that it is committed to implementing the recommendations so that this can never happen again," he said.

"The families who lost loved ones have fought with bravery and tenacity to get this report – it is absolutely right that they be closely involved in ensuring that the trust implements the recommendations rapidly and in full."

The MP hopes setting up a committee will allow families to oversee, monitor and report back to the public on the trust's progress in carrying out the wide-reaching recommendations.

A committee would also include representatives of patients and front-line medical staff.

James Titcombe, who lost his newborn son Joshua in 2008 at FGH, said he pledged his support to the formation of the group and would want to be part of it with other affected families.

In all there are 18 recommendations for UHMBT outlined in the Morecambe Bay Investigation which was chaired by Dr Bill Kirkup and published last week.

These include the trust admitting the extent of the problems and apologising to those affected, carrying out a review of the skills, knowledge, competency and professional duties of care within the maternity department, and drawing up plans to deliver training and development for staff.

Other recommendations cover developing measures to promote effective multi-disciplinary team-working, drawing up a protocol for risk assessment to determine who should deliver at FGH and who should not, and reviewing the structures, processes and staff involved in investigating incidents.

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Although the trust responded to last week's publication with an apology to all families affected, and accepted all the statements made within the report, there have so far been no further actions.

However, UHMBT medical director David Walker said the board was meeting this week to discuss the findings and establish an action plan.

“It is clear how much the continued improvement of our services means to local people, and we welcome the support and helpful suggestions made by John Woodcock MP," he said. "We will consider these thoroughly as a trust board.

“We will also ensure that we communicate our plans for implementation of the recommendations made by Dr Kirkup with the public as soon as possible.”