TRUST bosses say they have met the demands of a health watchdog which has power to close the troubled maternity unit at Furness General Hospital.

The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust this week handed evidence to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in an attempt to prove it was fit to run services.

Trust staff said they were confident their improvements would calm concerns raised after an unannounced inspection of maternity units at Furness General Hospital (FGH), Westmorland General Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary, in July.

The investigation was prompted by an inquest into the death of nine-day-old baby Joshua Titcombe, who died of a missed infection at FGH in 2008.

Inspectors found multiple failings at the site and said the trust was ‘compliant’ in four assessment standards, but created ‘moderate’ concerns in three areas and ‘major’ concerns in three.

Director of nursing at UHMBT Jackie Holt said it was up to the CQC to decide if improvements were enough to raise FGH’s maternity ward from a threat of closure.

She said: “We regret what has happened and we’re sorry if it has caused anxiety. "We’ve complied with the CQC’s warning notice, but from our point of view this is just the first milestone of improvement.

“We’ve done the best we can with a 26-year-old building that is not fit for purpose as a twenty-first century hospital.

“We are now focusing on continuing to work with our partner organisations, Maternity Liaison Group, mothers and staff to ensure we continue to make improvements to maternity services across the Trust and sustain them in the long term.”

Changes to trust services include:

  • More staff employed to create a second ‘out of hours’ emergency theatre team at FGH
  • A business case put together for long-term maternity service improvements in Barrow
  • A shorter route from FGH labour ward to surgery theatres to preserve privacy
  • Refurbished rooms and a multi-disciplinary staff room
  • Staff training to encourage employees to report problems on risk registers

Sascha Wells, head of Midwifery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, said: “It is extremely important women in Morecambe Bay continue to have confidence in our maternity services and I would like to reassure them our services are safe.”

Concerned patients can contact the trust’s helpline on 01539 715082.