The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King's Lynn was one of 12 hospitals around the country that came under the spotlight as part of a national investigation into the state of maternity care led by Baroness Amos, former leader of the House of Lords.

The report, published today, focuses on those who suffered bereavement or harm at the QEH and felt "let down" over how their cases were handled.

And its findings say the system is no longer fit for purpose and requires "urgent reform".

Researchers invited families to meetings to discuss their experiences at the QEH and the other 11 hospitals included in the review.

The report says most who attended had experienced harm and many had experienced bereavement.

Researchers spoke to families about their experiences of maternity care at the QEH (Image: QEH)

"Families told us that they came forward as they did not want others to go through the experiences that they did and they wanted to see long term change," it adds.

Researchers also spoke to families who were involved in external investigations or legal processes following the death of or harm to their babies, with some hearing new information about the causes of harm for the first time.

The report adds: "These processes were described as long and demanding and with families given limited time to review detailed medical information.

"Families felt let down by the trust in how follow up care and processes, such as complaints and investigations, were handled.

"Many described situations where they recognised that something was wrong, asked for help and were reassured that what they were experiencing was normal."

Women told how their symptoms were minimised or disbelieved during labour, while families were also left feeling powerless in decision making about their care or their baby’s care.

"Many described situations where plans were........

© Eastern Daily Press