‘I warned minister three years ago’: Father raised the alarm on baby deaths… but was ignored’

The father whose baby died at a scandal-hit maternity unit begged the former health secretary to investigate three years ago but was told nothing could be done.

James Titcombe wrote to Andrew Lansley in June 2010, urging him to look at Furness General Hospital and warning him that other lives were at risk.

But the former health secretary did not reply and instead instructed an official at the Department of Health’s ‘customer service centre’ to inform him he was ‘unable to comment’.

Mr Titcombe’s son Joshua died at the unit in November 2008 from a chest infection which should have been treated by a course of antibiotics.

He is one of 14 babies and two mothers feared to have died at the hospital since 2001 because of neglect – another 30 infants and women suffered serious harm.

This week it emerged that three bosses at the Care Quality Commission tried to cover-up evidence of a botched inspection into the unit in 2010.

A report disclosed how former CQC chief executive Cynthia Bower, her deputy Jill Finney and head of press Anna Jefferson tried to get evidence deleted in case it damaged their reputations.

Miss Finney is said to have told the critical report’s author Louise Dineley to ‘delete’ it, adding ‘read my lips’.

And when asked whether it should be published, Miss Jefferson, 38, is alleged to have said: ‘Are you kidding me?’ She has since denied making that comment, while Miss Finney and Mrs Bower have both said that they did not intend to cover up the report. Backed by MPs, the families of children who died have demanded a police inquiry.

Scotland Yard is now considering a possible probe surrounding misconduct in a public office.

Mr Titcombe, 35, said yesterday: ‘Our plea was simply ignored. Someone from the Department for Health replied on his behalf by email.’

‘They said they could not comment on individual cases. It was pathetic.’

Mr Titcombe wrote to Mr Lansley after trying in vain to get various other bodies to investigate the tragedy – including the CQC and the Health Ombudsman.

The letter read: ‘In order to save lives in the NHS and react more quickly when things go wrong, it is clear to me that the system in place at the moment needs to change.’

He explained how staff at the trust were refusing to accept responsibility for Joshua’s death and had even managed to lose his medical records – crucial evidence into the events leading up to the tragedy.

‘Although the trust undertook an investigation into Joshua’s death, so much of the detail regarding what happened to Joshua has not been accepted,’ Mr Titcombe wrote.

‘Our son’s critical medical records have gone missing and there are discrepancies between what my wife and I know happened and what staff have reported. It feels to us like all lessons from Joshua’s death can’t be taken on while what happened to him remains in dispute.

‘Now that your Government is in power, you have a huge opportunity to improve things and ensure that experiences such as ours become less frequent. This has to start with instances such as Joshua’s death being investigated properly and all lessons being learned.’

But Mr Lansley did not reply and instead instructed an official to tell him he was ‘not in a position to intervene’. In an email, an official called Will Pinkney told Mr Titcombe: ‘I’m afraid the Department of Health is unable to comment on individual cases and therefore the Secretary of State is not in a position to intervene personally on your behalf.’

He told Mr Titcombe to go back to the Ombudsman, and the letter ended: ‘I hope you find this reply really helpful.’

Mr Titcombe last night called for a full police investigation into the cover-up.

He said: ‘My view is that the police should now interview these people and carry out an investigation to understand what happened.

‘The act of covering up and deleting the internal review raises issues which have been widely talked about as approaching a criminal act and I think those circumstances need to be formally investigated.’

Earlier this year the Government said it would be carrying out an independent inquiry into the maternity unit – similar to that undertaken at Mid Staffordshire hospital, where hundreds died through neglect.
Bosses involved in the cover up could lose their pensions

The Health Secretary yesterday called for disgraced watchdog bosses to be stripped of their taxpayer-funded pensions.

Former Care Quality Commission chief executive Cynthia Bower, her deputy Jill Finney and head of press Anna Jefferson have triggered fury after it emerged they tried to suppress evidence of a botched inspection into a maternity unit.

Up to 14 babies and two mothers are known to have died because of poor care at the maternity unit at Furness General Hospital in Cumbria over the past decade.

But in 2010, the CQC carried out a two-day inspection of the unit – prompted by concerned families – and passed it as ‘safe’.

Earlier this week it emerged that the three women tried to ‘cover up’ evidence showing that the inspection had been flawed and there were serious failings at the unit.

Backed by MPs, the families of the children who died have demanded a police inquiry and Scotland Yard is considering a possible probe surrounding misconduct in a public office.

Speaking yesterday, Jeremy Hunt said: ‘These are very, very serious allegations and they should have very, very serious consequences if they are proved.

‘I know the CQC are looking into disciplinary procedures and what can be done, what sanctions are available – whether you can have forfeiture of pensions.

‘There has to be due process, but it is totally appalling that this kind of thing should happen.

Miss Bower, 57, resigned from the watchdog last year on a £1.4million pension while Miss Finney, 54, left in February on a retirement package valued at £95,000. Miss Jefferson is currently on maternity leave.

There has also been anger over the way Miss Finney obtained her job at the CQC.

A PR expert who was once responsible for promoting pasta, she was appointed to the CQC in February 2009. At the time, her husband David Lane was a consultant helping to set up the CQC when it replaced the Healthcare
Commission.

Meanwhile, Miss Bower was appointed despite failing to stop the care scandal at Mid Staffordshire when she was head of the regional health authority.

MPs are demanding an investigation into the recruitment methods used in the NHS for senior managers.

Yesterday Steve Barclay, a Tory MP on the public accounts committee, said: ‘There are serious questions to be asked about how a number of key players in this scandal managed to get their jobs in the first place and keep them for so long.

‘Cynthia Bower was in a key leadership position when hundreds of people died unnecessarily at Mid Staffs and was then promoted.’

Mr Barclay added: ‘A clear picture is emerging of a cosy cadre at the highest levels of the Health Service.’

Source Mail Online