A DAD whose son died as a result of poor care at Furness General Hospital has written to a body investigating maternity failings to outline his safety concerns.

James Titcombe's son Joshua was one of several babies who died in what would become known as the Morecambe Bay maternity scandal.

Joshua died aged nine days old after midwives involved in his care at Furness General Hospital failed to notice he was suffering from a treatable infection.

Mr Titcombe, who now campaigns on patient safety, has written to the director of the Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations (MNSI) programme to share concerns that its staff may have a bias towards 'normal' births which he says is an issue that has come up in major maternity care investigations.  

He said in a letter shared on social media: "As you know from our previous discussions, I am very uncomfortable with the apparent discrepancy between what has been clearly acknowledged within the maternity investigation programme around this issue (ie. 'normality bias being a 'regular' finding of investigations which is 'fed back to the trust as part of their cultural learning') and the absence of any public commentary or sharing of learning around this issue.

"Although sensitive, I must also mention my concerns arising from my experience as a HSIB
employee, when I was subject to multiple 'complaints' from a small number of maternity
investigators because of my personal views expressed on social media about the focus on 'normality' in maternity services and how this impacts safety (despite these concerns being supported by the findings of major inquires and being well evidenced).

"Have MNSI taken any measures to safeguard against the potential risk of members of the maternity investigation team holding 'radical' views around 'normal birth' that could influence investigations or acknowledgment and sharing of learning around this issue?"

In response, director Sandy Lewis said 'the MNSI programme advocates for safe, personalised care for each mother/birthing person and baby, no matter the setting or mode of birth. MNSI does not promote any one type of birth over another including 'normal' birth.

She said all investigations were reviewed to mitigate against bias and said staff go through a 'robust recruitment process to assess their suitability for the role'.