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The findings state mothers and babies are at increased risk of harm due to a toxic ‘cover-up culture’ within the National Health Service.
‘Something must have gone badly wrong’ in the NHS, said Charles Massey this week. The chief executive of the General Medical Council (GMC) was speaking at a conference when he referred to new evidence that trainee obstetrics and gynaecology doctors were too afraid to raise concerns in the face of wrongdoing.
New GMC figures show that 27% of trainees in maternity wards have admitted to feeling hesitant about escalating patient issues to a senior doctor. This culture of fear is putting both mothers and babies at serious risk of harm.
The findings come as 14 NHS trusts in England are now under investigation for maternity safety failings. Massey said that a ‘tribal’ nature of medicine was setting doctors and midwives against each other, discouraging collaboration and punishing honesty in the face of crisis.
As a result, mistakes are being hidden rather than addressed – and in a work environment where life or death hang in the balance, momentary hesitation can be the difference between avoiding a fatal crisis.
Massey added that it was ‘profoundly concerning’ that doctors are making life and death decisions in a fear-led environment.
‘Those are the very factors that lead to cover-up and candor, and obfuscation over honesty,’ he explained. ‘And it is in those cultures that the greatest patient harm occurs.’
Trainees have described being left without support, and worried that speaking up will harm their careers. The GMC’s data highlights a difficult working culture – one hampered by high levels of workload stress, bullying and burnout across a thinly stretched NHS system.
Given the lack of funding, shortage of staff, and legislative crackdowns on the National Health Service, it may not come as a surprise that staff are feeling the sting. But this isn’t the first time maternity services have been exposed.
‘Everyone in this room will be aware of the scandals of recent years concerning maternity care,’ Massey told the Health Service Journal conference this week. ‘This is one of the most high pressure and high risk areas of medicine. One where the consequences of things going wrong can be especially tragic and far-reaching.’
Decisions about interventions during labour or surgery cannot be delayed. Yet almost a third of junior doctors admit they hesitate to escalate care because of the culture around them.
As Stylist reports, many feel unsupported and isolated. They are trusted with huge responsibility but given little protection when something goes wrong. That mismatch leaves both staff and patients exposed.
