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East Kent maternity deaths: Chief executive says "enough is enough"

The chief executive of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust has promised "enough is enough", as she pledged to act on the recent harrowing report into its maternity services.

Tracey Fletcher said the trust fully accepts the findings of the investigation which found up to 45 babies might have survived with better care.

Ms Fletcher described the report as "profound" when speaking to BBC South East health correspondent Mark Norman. 

"This report signals an enough is enough point," she said. "We really do now need to continue with the improvement work we have done."

The chief xxecutive added that one of the main improvements the trust needed to implement going forward was "to both listen to our staff and listen to our patients".

A team of medical experts led by Dr Bill Kirkup CBE reviewed an 11-year period from 2009 at both the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate and the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford. The report uncovered a "clear pattern" of "sub-optimal" care that led to significant harm, highlighting failings in areas including team-work, professionalism and compassion. Famliies were also not listended to, according to the damning report.

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust has since said that further maternity cases are to be investigated.