An expert who led the inquiry into a baby death scandal at hospitals in Kent has said the government's response to his report "does not go nearly far enough".

Dr Bill Kirkup's investigation found as many as 45 infants might have survived if they had been given better care by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT).

His inquiry, which published its findings in October, examined more than 200 cases dating back to 2009.

The report highlighted "clear and repeated" failures of professionalism from staff at hospitals in the east of the county.

"Time after time, we heard that staff not only failed to show compassion, they also denied responsibility for what had happened, or even that anything untoward had occurred," the report stated.

"Similarly, we have found instances where the mother was blamed for what had happened.

"Where things went wrong, clinical staff, managers and senior managers often failed to communicate openly with families about what had happened."

Today women's health minister Maria Caulfield delivered a written statement to parliament setting out what steps the government is taking in response to Dr Kirkup's findings.

But the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) described the statement as "lacklustre" and Dr Kirkup said the response "does not go far enough".

"I'm very disappointed that it’s taken this long and that all we have is an initial response and that it does not go nearly far enough, in my view, to address the depth and complexity of the issues that we've identified," Dr Kirkup told the BBC.

"The initial response today came out of the blue. As far as I was concerned, I think that's disappointing.

"I hope that we can all do better in the future."

'I would like to place on the record my gratitude to the families who came forward to contribute to this review...'

Referring to the government's promise to provide a fuller response in the spring, Dr Kirkup said in a statement: "I hope that it then comes forward with the changes necessary and deserved by families in East Kent and elsewhere."

Meanwhile, Gill Walton, chief executive of the RCM, said: "If anyone wanted evidence of how little this government cares about maternity services, they simply need to read their response to the Kirkup report - fewer than 500 words and nearly six months after the report's publication.

"Contrast this with the response to the equally-important Ockenden Review, which was made by the Secretary of State to the House of Commons on the day of publication.

"This lacklustre response does little to address the report’s calls for greater investment in maternity services or the recommendations around training and support for staff."

EKHUFT runs five hospitals in total, with its main maternity services at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate and the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

In her statement, Ms Caulfield said: "I would like to place on the record my gratitude to the families who came forward to contribute to this review, and to express my deepest sympathies for the loss and harm that Dr Kirkup discovered in the maternity and neonatal services at East Kent.

"I am also grateful for Dr Kirkup and his review team for his report."

The minister said the government has begun work to establish a task force on maternity outcomes, while those responsible for staff education will be "commissioned to report on how compassionate care can best be embedded into practice and sustained through lifelong learning".

Ms Caulfield also said relevant organisations will examine and report on how "teamworking in maternity and neonatal care can be improved" and how "oversight and direction of clinicians can be improved".