THE chief executive of West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority responded to the results of the inquiry into Wyre Forest Birth Centre by saying he wished to place on record "our sincere regret for the failings in care provided and the distress this caused the families involved".

Kevin Orford added he was satisfied the inquiry had met the terms of reference and thanked the panel for conducting "a thorough and sensitive investigation into these distressing events".

He said the report contained a large number of recommendations, which needed to be addressed in local services - and some were equally relevant to the wider NHS.

He added the SHA fully accepted the findings and recommendations of the report and would propose a monitoring group be set up immediately to oversee their implementation and finally report back to the SHA next March.

He said they expected the recommendations to have been fully addressed by then.

"The SHA is confident that the new management team at the trust will do this," Mr Orford added.

l Inquiry chairman, Peter Garland, will present the report of his findings to the board of the West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority at a public meeting at Kidderminster Town Hall today, from 11.15am.

Shortcomings on training

THE report also highlights a host of training issues.

It says although midwives at the birth centre were expected to attend neo-natal resuscitation courses every year and attendance at these was mandatory and should have been checked, a review by the trust following the deaths in August, 2003, revealed less than half of them had been on one in the last 12 months.

"When things go wrong, it is essential that the baby has access to a range of specialist care as quickly as possible," it adds.

"In three of these cases, there were delays in calling an ambulance and, in two cases, this delay was associated with attempts to provide advanced resuscitation to the baby."

Mr Rostill said: "Statistics for maternity units across the West Midlands show that for pregnancies which go beyond 24 weeks about eight babies in every 1,000 will either be stillborn or not survive beyond their first week.

"Many of these tragic cases are very premature deliveries but a significant proportion occur without any prior warning.

"Figures for our trust are slightly better than this average but there is a continuing challenge for doctors and midwives to advance their knowledge and help reduce even further the number of stillbirths and neo-natal deaths.

He added: "We have to do everything in our power to make sure that our standards of patient care , clinical guidelines, training and facilities combine to keep mums-to-be and their babies as safe as possible."

Inquiry team

MORE than 50 witnesses - including parents and staff - were interviewed for the independent inquiry into Wyre Forest Birth Centre.

The investigation was carried out by a team of four, chaired by Peter Garland, who retired as the Department of Health's director of health and social care for the north of England last year.

The three other members were consultant midwife at Southampton, Suzanne Cunningham, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist for Oldham NHS Trust, Anthony Mander, and lay member, Jacqueline Sweeney.

The inquiry was set up at the request of the West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority after two newly born babies died at the birth centre in August, 2003.

Subsequent investigations by the trust revealed four other babies had died since the unit opened in September, 2000.

The centre was closed for deliveries on September 19, although antenatal and postnatal care continued.