Poole Hospital admits baby was handed to wrong mother
- Published
A hospital trust is investigating after a baby was handed to the wrong mother in a maternity unit.
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Poole Hospital where the incident happened in September 2023, described it as "isolated".
The trust said the safety of parents and babies was its "highest priority" and it "deeply regretted" any distress caused.
It urged the mother to get in touch.
The trust added it had since reviewed its safety procedures.
Lorraine Tonge, director of midwifery at University Hospitals Dorset, said: "We deeply regret any distress that was caused and have reached out to the mother to offer her support.
"We would urge her to get back in touch with us to assist us in our investigation.
"The safety of our parents and babies is the highest priority and we are committed to providing full support to the affected families."
In March 2023, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found improvement was needed in some services run by University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust.
Poole Hospital's maternity service was inspected as part of CQC national maternity services inspection programme and was rated as "inadequate".
CQC said the service had previously been rated good, but the inspection found there had been deterioration in the quality of its safety.
The trust was served a warning notice regarding its processes to summon help in an emergency in Poole Hospital's maternity service.
Action has been taken since the inspection to address the risk, the trust said.
CQC's deputy director of operations in the south, Cath Campbell, said the service's "care and treatment fell below standards".
"Behind this was a staffing shortage, and risk management which needed strengthening," she said.
Ms Campbell added staff had ensured "the maternity service was clean, and that medicines were managed well".
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