Latest news with #LeedsGeneralInfirmary
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Safety campaigner killed in horror crash on stretch of road he was calling make safer
Road safety campaigner John Michael Duggan died in hospital following the crash in North Yorkshire despite the best efforts of medical staff - a driver of another vehicle has been arrested A road safety campaigner has been killed in a crash on the stretch of highway he called to be made safer. John Michael Duggan, 81, died in hospital following the crash on the A19 near Riccal, North Yorkshire, at about 10.30am on August 1. The driver of a white DAF skip lorry, a 42-year-old man from York, that collided with Duggan's black Nissan Juke as the ex-councillor joined the A19 from York Road, has been apprehended. Mr Duggan was taken to Leeds General Infirmary by air ambulance with serious injuries, but he was pronounced dead later. The A19, which runs from York in the north to Selby in the south, has national speed limit restrictions at the junction with York Road, where drivers join at a 'give way' junction. It comes after a man died after his wife ran him over in car park in a 'tragic accident'. Selby MP Keir Mather said Mr Duggan, a former Selby District Council and North Yorkshire County Council councillor, had campaigned for better road safety in Riccall. In 2019, Mr Duggan campaigned for a roundabout on the A19 to help prevent crashes after a crash which saw two people taken to hospital. An £850,000 road safety scheme to install the roundabout was scheduled to be built in 2007, but was subsequently axed with funds reallocated. In 2019, Mr Duggan said: 'The road is a lot busier than it was then, and accidents show people are trying to get out there but can't. 'It's quite common between Selby and York, the morning rush hour is car after car in both directions and you have to wait sometimes more than five minutes before you can get space and get out, it's such a busy road.' Speaking after Mr Duggan's death, Keir Mather MP said: 'This tragedy makes awfully clear the need for road safety improvements at both A19 junctions in Riccall. 'When I've canvassed or held drop-in events in Riccall this has always been what's come up. Anyone who uses either of the Riccall/A19 junctions knows that they feel unsafe, and that's what I've tried to impress on North Yorkshire Council previously that we need a new roundabout or at the very least a speed reduction. 'I will redouble my efforts to make North Yorkshire Council think again about the necessity of road safety improvements in Riccall. I've heard from so many people who agree and I've made contact with the parish council to discuss next steps – we'll only achieve this by working together. 'The most important thing in the next few days is that John's family are given the time to grieve and reflect on his memory, both as a family man and as a proud local campaigner for the village he called home. We owe it to his memory to see action taken, and people in Riccall can be certain of my full and unwavering support. Rest in peace John.'
Daily Mirror
25-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Striking doctors accuse Wes Streeting of a 'slap in the face' of trade unions
Angry doctors on picket lines demand Government increases their pay but Health Secretary Wes Streeting refuses to budge on 'unnecessary, reckless strike action' Thousands of doctors are out on strike today in a bitter pay dispute with the Government. Resident doctors across England are walking out for five days, demanding Labour commits to pay 'restoration', after over a decade of below-inflation deals under previous Tory governments. The British Medical Association has organised main regional picket lines for around 50,00 striking doctors at NHS sites in the North East, North West, Midlands, east of England and across the South. Dr Kelly Johnson told of her anger at Health Secretary Wes Streeting's opposition to the strikes. Speaking outside St Thomas' Hospital in London where she works, she said: "Every union has the right to strike. It feels like a slap in the face to say that we are doing something that is unjust. Just because we're doctors doesn't mean we can't come out and strike and protest for what we think is right." Speaking outside Leeds General Infirmary, paediatrics registrar Cristina Costache said: "Reducing the waiting list is a really good target but you're going to reduce the waiting list if you increase the numbers of posts, if you give better pay so the jobs don't leave for another country." Dr Ben Cowdry, posted on social media site X the crab emoji which has been adopted by a faction of resident doctors to represent not taking a backward step in their industrial dispute. He said: Today's picket at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. £22.67/hr is not an unreasonable ask. Doctors have subsidised the NHS for far too long. Perhaps Wes Streeting needs reminding that the power to stop these strikes lies squarely with the government.' Picket lines are being staged at Manchester Royal Infirmary, Royal Sussex County Hospital, Southampton General Hospital, Leeds General Infirmary, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Hull Royal Infirmary, Bristol Royal Infirmary and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. The BMA points to pay erosion since 2008 saying real terms salaries are down 20% since then according to the Retail Price Index measure of inflation. The Government's preferred measure of inflation, the Consumer Price Index, shows average resident doctor salaries down 5% since 2008 but ministers point out they have been increasing in real terms in recent years. The latest deal for 2025/26 consisted of a 4% uplift plus £750 "on a consolidated basis" - working out as an average rise of 5.4%, before inflation. Speaking outside the Bristol Royal Infirmary, Dr Fareed Al-Qusous, 26, said: "But the most recent pay uplift represents a 1% real terms uplift. At that rate it would take roughly 20 years to restore a 21% pay erosion. Wes Streeting said that pay restoration is a journey - we're willing to take him on that journey, but that journey is far beyond the lifespan of this Government. Dr Al-Qusous added: "'The power to stop these strikes lies squarely with this Government'. That is a direct quote from Wes Streeting when he was the shadow health secretary in 2022. That same logic and that responsibility lies with him at the moment. All he has to do is negotiate with us on pay. It doesn't have to be all in one year, it can be split over several years. We're asking for our pay to be restored. Our pay demands are only so high because our pay erosion has been so severe." Health Secretary Wes Streeting says doctors have received a 29% pay increase over the last three years, before inflation. This is because after Labour came to power it settled a dispute it inherited from the previous Tory government with a pay deal worth 22.3% on average over two years. However this covered a period of high inflation following the chaos of the short-lived Liz Truss government. Mr Streeting has insisted the 5.4% they received for 2025/26 is the highest in the public sector and all the Government can afford right now. The Royal College of Nursing is balloting its members over a 3.6% pay award. Mr Streeting said: "I'm really proud of the way that NHS leaders and frontline staff have prepared and mobilised to minimise the disruption and minimise the risk of harm to patients. We've seen an extraordinary response, including people cancelling their leave, turning up for work, and resident doctors themselves ignoring their union to be there for patients. I'm extremely grateful to all of them. "What I can't do today is guarantee that there will be no disruption and that there is no risk of harm to patients. We are doing everything we can to minimise it, but the risk is there, and that is why the BMA's action is so irresponsible. "They had a 28.9% pay award from this Government in our first year, there was also an offer to work with them on other things that affect resident doctors - working lives - and that's why I think this is such reckless action. "This Government will not allow the BMA to hold the country to ransom, and we will continue to make progress on NHS improvement, as we've done in our first year." It comes after NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told broadcasters about his different approach to managing the strike, including keeping as much pre-planned care going as possible rather than just focusing on emergency care. Asked about next steps and the continued threat of doctor strikes, given the BMA has a six-month mandate to call more industrial action, Mr Streeting said: "When the BMA asks, 'what's the difference between a Labour government and a Conservative government?', I would say a 28.9% pay rise and a willingness to work together to improve the working conditions and lives of doctors. That is why the public and other NHS staff cannot understand why the BMA have chosen to embark on this totally unnecessary, reckless strike action.." It comes as NHS chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told broadcasters on Friday about his different approach to managing the strike, including keeping as much pre-planned care going as possible rather than just focusing on emergency care. Other NHS sites where striking doctors are gathering are the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge. Melissa Ryan, co-chair of the BMA's resident doctor's committee, said she and other medics regularly receive job offers from hospitals Down Under. Ryan, a paediatric trainee working in Nottingham, told the Mirror: ' Australia sends me messages on social media saying 'come and work for us — we'd pay you better, you'd work less hours and the weather is better.' We have had new doctors, coming through, make those choices to leave because it's very stressful in the NHS but also because our pay is just not competitive and it's a global market for doctors.' Ryan, 45, continued: 'The problem is it's the patients who will miss out — we're already short staffed, we can't afford to lose a single more doctor to oversees work. What we need is for the Government to recognise the value of doctors, to reverse our pay erosion, actually come and talk and give us an offer and then I wouldn't need to be out here on strike, I could be back at work.' NHS leaders are urging the public to keep coming forward for care during five-day walkout and to turn up for appointments unless informed it has been cancelled. Charities warn industrial action will inevitably lead to cancellations in treatment and negatively impact patients, particularly those with less survivable cancers like lung, liver, and brain cancer. One person posted on social media site X - formerly Twitter - told how his elderly mum's appointment for today had been postponed He said: 'She's been waiting 18 months in agony and unable to walk. Is it in your code of ethics for her to be lying in pain until the new appt in February? I'd sack the lot of you… I tell you what if you don't like it go and get another job, stop being so cruel to people in desperate need of help, who have no quality of life while waiting for care.' It comes on the day other NHS workers followed resident doctors in rejecting the Government's pay deal, in a move that could lead to strikes further down the line. The GMB union said its thousands of health workers, including ambulance crews, voted by 67% against the 3.6% pay award offered for 2025/26 in England. It has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for an urgent meeting. Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, added: "We await his reply with interest." The GMB represents about 50,000 health workers including 20,000 in the ambulance service.
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
‘My baby died after I was ignored.' More families call for Leeds NHS maternity inquiry
When Tassie Weaver went into labour at full term, she thought she was hours away from holding her first child. But, by the time she was giving birth, she knew her son had had previously told Tassie to call her local maternity unit immediately when she went into labour, she says, because her high blood pressure and concerns about the baby's growth meant she needed monitoring. But when she first phoned, despite being considered high risk, a midwife told her to stay at hours later, worried she now could not feel her baby moving, she called again. Once more the same midwife told her to stay put - saying this was normal because women can be too distracted by their contractions to feel anything else."I was treated as just a kind of hysterical woman in pain who doesn't know what's going on because it's their first pregnancy," the 39-year-old tells she rang a third time, a couple of hours later, a different midwife told her to come to hospital straight away, but by the time she arrived it was too late. Her son's heart had stopped and her husband, John, believe Baxter's stillbirth four years ago at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI),could have been prevented. A review by the NHS trust that runs the hospital identified care issues "likely to have made a difference to the outcome".The couple are among 47 new families who have contacted the BBC with concerns about inadequate maternity care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust between 2017 and 2024. These include parents who told us their babies died or had been injured, and women who described injury and trauma following inadequate had all seen our January investigation into the potentially avoidable deaths of 56 babies and two mothers at the trust between 2019 and to the latest concerns, LTH told the BBC it was "deeply sorry" that families had been let down by the care they had received. It said it recognised it needed to make trust had taken "clear steps to make real and lasting changes", said its chief medical officer Dr Magnus Harrison, since unannounced inspections in December 2024 and January 2025 by England's regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC)."We are investing in our workforce, focusing on consistently safe staffing levels, and strengthening our culture to prioritise openness, compassion and respect," he added. If you have been affected by the issues in this story, you can contact the BBC Action Line here As well as the new families, three more whistleblowers - in addition to the two in our first investigation - have also shared concerns about the standard of care at LTH maternity units, at LGI and St James' University sites are rated "good" by the CQC, but all the whistleblowers believe that rating does not reflect is a problem with the culture, one senior staff member told us. "People [staff] are scared to raise concerns because nothing ever happens when they are raised. So there's a 'what's the point' attitude."There were also 107 clinical claims made against LTH for obstetric-related deaths and injuries between April 2015 and April 2024, the BBC has learned via a Freedom of Information request to NHS Resolution - the health service's insurance than £71m was paid during this period including for 14 stillbirths, and 13 fatalities involving mothers or babies, including Tassie's son, Baxter. 'The door is definitely unlocked' A total of 67 families have now told the BBC they experienced inadequate care at LTH's two maternity units. All want an independent review into the trust's maternity services - and a group of them have asked Health Secretary Wes Streeting for senior midwife Donna Ockenden to lead it. Some Leeds families also joined others from across England this week, to urge Mr Streeting to hold a national inquiry into maternity safety. On Tuesday, he met parents who said they "got a very clear message" that he was considering one. Jack Hawkins, whose daughter Harriet died in 2016 in Nottingham, told us afterwards: "The door is definitely unlocked. It's the only way we can improve what's going on."Mr Streeting had told a different group on Monday, however, that he would not hold an inquiry, preferring instead to announce a separate plan - opposed by families - to improve BBC understands such a plan would include an improvement taskforce led by non-NHS officials, a buddying system between poorly performing and better trusts, and a restorative justice approach where hospitals and families would meet and vow to be open and Streeting continues to meet bereaved families "to best understand how we can improve maternity services as swiftly as possible", a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said in a statement."We are finalising measures to strengthen leadership and build a culture rooted in safety, respect, and compassion in maternity services," they added. 'I knew we needed help' Tassie's care was graded "D" - the lowest possible - by the trust's review confirmed "the mother presented with reduced fetal movements but management was not appropriate"."I knew that me and my baby needed help, and I tried to communicate that as clearly as I could, and I didn't get that help," Tassie says."I had another 17 hours in labour… having to sign consent forms for a post mortem whilst having contractions trying to deliver my son, who I knew wasn't alive."That's not something anyone should ever have to do."Given her combined risks, Tassie should have been offered an induction earlier, at 39 weeks, concluded the review trust told us it offered "sincere apologies and condolences" to Ms Weaver and her family for their "distressing experiences and loss"."Immediate internal and external reviews of the care provided were undertaken and we made a number of changes as a result of this tragic case," added Dr Harrison. Common themes were expressed repeatedly by the latest families to contact us - including women feeling like they had not been listened to when they raised concerns, a lack of compassion, and families saying the trust made them feel like they were alone in their couple paid an undisclosed settlement by NHS Resolution on behalf of the trust was Heidi Mayman and her partner Dale Morton. Heidi gave birth to their first daughter Lyla in 2019, two years before Tassie gave birth to Baxter. Lyla died aged four believes her concerns were not taken seriously during her "traumatic" labour. Lyla was born in poor condition about 37 hours after Heidi says she first called the LGI's maternity assessment centre, reporting blood and fluid says she repeatedly raised concerns about reduced fetal movements and worsening pain and, like Tassie, made multiple calls before being advised to attend. "I just wish she [Lyla] were here. I feel like it's just ruined our lives, I'll never get over it," Heidi told protocols the midwives had failed to follow were outlined, along with future safety recommendations, in an external investigation by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB).Lyla's dad, Dale says the investigation reads "just like a catalogue of errors". 'Swept under the carpet' In January, we reported that 27 stillbirths and 29 neonatal deaths at LTH between 2019 and mid-2024 - plus two deaths of mothers - had been judged to have been potentially preventable by a trust review deaths reviewed included babies with congenital abnormalities - and newborns and mothers transferred after birth for specialist care. The trust said in response to our initial story that the number of potentially-avoidable neonatal deaths had been "very small".A senior clinical staff member working at the trust - one of the new whistleblowers - told us inadequate staffing levels had led to what they described as "near misses".They also said a baby had died unnecessarily on one occasion, because issues had not been recognised earlier during the mother's trust does not "learn from their mistakes", they added, and often things are "swept under the carpet". 'Taking concerns very seriously' A full report of the CQC's findings following its inspections of the trust's maternity and neonatal services, including all action it has told the trust to take, is due to be published trust was given immediate feedback regarding urgent concerns which required action to address identified risks, the CQC told us. It also took enforcement action requiring the implementation of safe staffing months after our report in January, NHS England placed LTH under its maternity safety support programme (MSSP) which works to improve trusts where serious concerns have been identified."We are taking the concerns raised by families about the quality and safety of maternity care in Leeds incredibly seriously," chief midwifery officer for England, Kate Brintworth, told Dr Magnus Harrison said in a statement: "We are fully committed to ensuring that every family receives safe, respectful and compassionate care. We recognise we need to make improvements."He added: "We have commissioned an independent external review to complement NHS England's Peer Quality Review of our neonatal services, so that we can better understand the data on neonatal outcomes." Do you have more information about this story?You can reach Divya directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +44 7961 390 325, by email at or her Instagram account.
BBC News
17-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Leeds maternity
When Tassie Weaver went into labour at full term, she thought she was hours away from holding her first child. But by the time she was giving birth, she knew her son had had previously told Tassie to call her local maternity unit immediately, she says, as she was considered high risk and needed monitoring, due to high blood pressure and concerns about the baby's growth. But a midwife told her to stay at hours later she called again, worried because now she couldn't feel her baby moving. Again, she was told to stay at home, the same midwife saying that this was normal because women can be too distracted by their contractions to feel anything else."I was treated as just a kind of hysterical woman in pain who doesn't know what's going on because it's their first pregnancy," the 39-year-old tells she called a third time, a different midwife told her to come to hospital, but when she arrived it was too late. His heart had stopped and her husband John believe Baxter's stillbirth at the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI), four years ago, could have been prevented - and a review by the trust identified care issues "likely to have made a difference to the outcome".The couple are among 47 new families who have contacted the BBC with concerns about inadequate maternity care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust between 2017 and 2024. These include parents who told us their babies died or had been injured, and women who described injury and trauma following inadequate had seen our January investigation into the potentially avoidable deaths of 56 babies and two mothers at the trust between 2019 and the latest families' accounts, LTH told the BBC it was "deeply sorry" they had been let down by the care they had received and said it recognised it needed to make trust's chief medical officer Dr Magnus Harrison said it had taken "clear steps to make real and lasting changes" since unannounced inspections in December 2024 and January 2025 by England's regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC)."We are investing in our workforce, focusing on consistently safe staffing levels, and strengthening our culture to prioritise openness, compassion and respect," he added. If you have been affected by the issues in this story, you can contact the BBC Action Line here As well as the new families, three new whistleblowers - two who still work for the trust - have shared concerns about the standard of care at its two maternity units - at the LGI and St James' University Hospital. This is in addition to the two we spoke to in our initial units are rated "good" by the CQC, but the whistleblowers believe that rating does not reflect was a problem with the culture, one senior staff member told us. "People [staff] are scared to raise concerns because nothing ever happens when they are raised. So there's a 'what's the point' attitude," they BBC has also learned that 107 clinical claims were made against LTH for obstetric-related deaths and injuries between April 2015 and April 2024. This was obtained via a Freedom of Information request to NHS Resolution - the health service's insurance than £71m was paid during this period including for 14 stillbirths, and 13 fatalities involving mothers or babies. These babies included Tassie's son, Baxter. 'I knew we needed help' Tassie's care was graded by the trust's review team - which should include an external member - as a D, the lowest confirmed that "the mother presented with reduced fetal movements but management was not appropriate"."I knew that me and my baby needed help, and I tried to communicate that as clearly as I could, and I didn't get that help," Tassie says. "Labour is painful, but when you know the baby's dead… I can't even explain."The review group also agreed that Tassie should have been offered an induction earlier at 39 weeks given the combined risks of hypertension and growth concerns with her Harrison from the trust said it offered "sincere apologies and condolences" to Ms Weaver and her family for their "distressing experiences and loss".He added: "Immediate internal and external reviews of the care provided were undertaken and we made a number of changes as a result of this tragic case." In total, 67 families have now told the BBC they experienced inadequate maternity care at Leeds. All are calling for an independent review into its maternity themes were expressed repeatedly by the 47 new families who contacted the BBC when we spoke to them. These included women feeling like they were not being listened to when they raised concerns, a lack of compassion, and families saying the trust made them feel like they were alone in their of the families paid an undisclosed settlement was Heidi Mayman and her partner Dale Morton, who gave birth to their first daughter Lyla in 2019, two years before Tassie gave birth to Baxter. Lyla died aged four also believes her concerns were not taken seriously during her "traumatic" labour. Lyla was born in poor condition about 37 hours after Heidi says she first called the LGI's maternity assessment centre, reporting blood and fluid loss. During her labour she also repeatedly raised concerns about reduced fetal movements and worsening pain."I just wish she were here. I feel like it's just ruined our lives, I'll never get over it," Heidi told external investigation following Lyla's death by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB), identified safety dad, Dale says reading the investigation, which outlined the protocols the midwives had failed to follow was "just like a catalogue of errors". 'Swept under the carpet' In January, we reported that 27 stillbirths and 29 neonatal deaths at LTH between 2019 and mid-2024 - and two deaths of mothers - had been judged to have been potentially preventable by a trust review deaths reviewed included babies with congenital abnormalities and newborns and mothers transferred after birth for specialist care. The trust said the number of potentially-avoidable neonatal deaths had been "very small".Following our report, a group of parents wrote to Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for an urgent review into Leeds' maternity services following the BBC investigation, to be led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden. He has written to the families but not yet made a have now spoken to a total of five whistleblowers, three still working for the trust, who have echoed concerns raised by of them is a senior clinical staff member who told us they have seen "near misses" because of inadequate staffing also recalled an incident, in which a baby died, which they believe could have been prevented if issues had been recognised earlier during the staff member told the BBC the trust does not "learn from their mistakes" and often things are "swept under the carpet". 'Taking concerns very seriously' A full report of the CQC's findings following its inspection of the trust's maternity and neonatal services, including all action it has told the trust to take, is due to be published trust was given immediate feedback regarding urgent concerns which required action to address identified risks, the CQC told us. It also took enforcement action requiring the implementation of safe staffing months after our initial report, NHS England placed the trust under its maternity safety support programme (MSSP) which works to improve trusts where serious concerns have been identified."We are taking the concerns raised by families about the quality and safety of maternity care in Leeds incredibly seriously," chief midwifery officer for England, Kate Brintworth, Dr Magnus Harrison said in a statement: "We are fully committed to ensuring that every family receives safe, respectful and compassionate care. We recognise we need to make improvements."He added: "We have commissioned an independent external review to complement NHS England's Peer Quality Review of our neonatal services, so that we can better understand the data on neonatal outcomes." Do you have more information about this story?You can reach Divya directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +44 7961 390 325, by email at or her Instagram account.
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Staff discover 'suspicious substance' at Leeds General Infirmary
Emergency services are working to identify a "suspicious substance" discovered by staff at a hospital in Yorkshire Police said specialist officers were sent to Leeds General Infirmary just after 11:00 BST after staff found the substance in a small package.A force spokesperson confirmed it had been contained on site and said there was not thought to be a wider risk to the public at injuries have been reported. The trust which runs the hospital has been contacted for comment. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
