AN independent review of the way a national nursing regulator handled the cases of midwives accused of failures in care during a maternity scandal in Barrow is to be launched.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council announced this week it has commissioned a 'lessons learned' review to assess the way it dealt with maternity staff from Furness General Hospital accused of misconduct.
It is hoped the process will help the organisation identify how its processes could be improved in the future.
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Jackie Smith, NMC chief executive, explained the time was right to launch a review as the last remaining fitness to practice hearings related to the Morecambe Bay Investigation were due to conclude next year.
She went on to promise to publish the report in full once it is completed.
"The purpose of this review is to identify learning from our handling of the Morecambe Bay cases in order to identify where we could do things differently should a similar situation arise now," Mrs Smith said.
"The scope and terms of reference will be determined once we have identified who will lead the review.
"As part of the review we will be inviting the families affected by the events at Morecambe Bay to contribute and share their experiences.
"The review will commence once the final fitness to practise cases have concluded in 2017 and we are committed to publishing the findings in full."
So far, five FGH midwives have been subject to fitness to fitness to practice hearings over failings in care within Barrow's maternity department.
But the organisation has come under heavy fire for substantial delays between being notified of cases of alleged misconduct and the convening of the hearings themselves.
In one case, disgraced Dalton midwife Lindsey Biggs was allowed to continue working for eight years before an NMC fitness to practice panel concluded she should be struck off.
In the meantime, Ms Biggs was involved in the care of a second baby who died at Barrow's hospital in March.
Mrs Smith added: "We cannot change what has already happened, however, we must move forward by identifying how we should do things differently in the future."
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