National maternity review exposes Bradford care ‘gap’

Baroness Amos’ report revealed busy wards, stretched staffing, heavy administrative workloads and digital systems that were “difficult to navigate” at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Families told investigators the service at the hospital felt “under pressure”, which affected the care they experienced.

The report stated: “Staff spend significant time looking for information or completing tasks that take them away from families.

“Families noticed this too, describing staff being drawn to computers, when what they needed was reassurance and encouragement.”

Some of the women who spoke to investigators in Bradford said they felt patronised and described feeling their symptoms had been dismissed.

They told investigators they felt “coerced rather than supported”, with some claiming they had been told “they could not go home or make feeding decisions unless they complied with staff expectations”.

Baroness Amos’ report raised concerns about language and background, as well as concerns about communication, with some mothers describing receiving differing advice from staff members.

They also spoke about the state of the buildings, with the age and layout of the Bradford Royal Infirmary site leading to delay, stress and extra pressure.

Meanwhile, the complaints process at the Bradford trust was described as hard to understand and slow, and families felt they were met with “silence and a lack of explanation”, according to the report.

The report warned that the women’s experiences covered a range of time periods, which meant some of the issues, such as the condition of the estate or ways of working, may have since changed.