
You may have seen the BBC news reports about our maternity and neonatal services.
We are deeply sorry that some families were let down by the maternity care they have received at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, and we offer our condolences to those who have lost loved ones.
You can read our letter from the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Magnus Harrison, to everyone using our maternity and neonatal services, here.
We want to reassure every family due to have their baby with us in Leeds and any new parents that we are absolutely committed to providing safe, compassionate care.
Is it safe for me to have my baby at Leeds Teaching Hospitals?
Our staff are committed to providing the best possible care for the patients and families who use our maternity and neonatal services.
We deliver more than 8,500 babies each year and the vast majority of those are safe and positive experiences for our families. But we recognise that’s not the experience of all families, and we know we must go further to make sure everyone’s experience is as good and safe as it possibly can be.
Do you have enough midwives in your hospitals?
In Leeds we have recently been successful in recruiting more midwives to care for our women and families.
We have appointed 55 new midwives since last autumn, and a further 35 are due to begin work with us this autumn.
We are investing in our workforce, focusing on consistently safe staffing levels, and strengthening our culture to prioritise openness, compassion and respect.
Will you listen to me if I have a concern or complaint?
Yes – your voice really matters to us. We always take complaints and concerns raised by patients, families and staff very seriously and we are always looking for ways we can improve.
If you have a concern about your care at any point you can discuss it with the team providing your care, or you can contact the PALS team on 0113 206 6261 or email patientexperience.leedsth@nhs.net
We work together with Leeds Maternity & Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) to make improvements using feedback from the experiences of our patients. MNVP parent representatives regularly visit our wards and departments to gain feedback from families directly. Anyone wishing to get involved in the work of the MNVP can contact: mnvp@womenshealthmatters.org.uk or join their Facebook group.