Maternity Safety Alliance: bereaved families want public inquiry
By Clare Gooch
In the last 3 years, we have seen maternity services across the UK under immense scrutiny.
The first public investigation took place at Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust in 2020 where a final report published by Senior Midwife Donna Ockenden highlighted a number of failings in the maternity services and provided recommendations for improvement.
In October 2022 Dr Bill Kirkup released his report following an investigation into East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which highlighted a number of systemic issues that required significant improvement to aid maternity services at the hospitals.
Most recently an investigation is underway at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust by Donna Ockenden for several failings in maternity care. Her report is pending and expected to be published in the spring of 2024.
Sadly, as a result of poor maternity care many families have lost babies or loved ones, which could otherwise have been avoided. These families are now calling for a national public inquiry into maternity care.
The Maternity Safety Alliance has been set up by some of the bereaved families to campaign for this investigation and ultimately better maternity care. They are appealing to all families who have been affected by poor maternity care to get in touch and share their stories.
At Switalskis we continue to support many families who have been affected by poor maternity services. Whether that be due to an unimaginable loss or an avoidable injury, we stand by our clients in an attempt to bring answers and resolution.
If you have been affected, contact our specialist medical negligence lawyers on 0800 138 0458 or email: help@switalskis.com
Clare has worked in Medical Negligence for over 10 years. She’s a Senior Associate Solicitor in our Medical Negligence team based in Switalskis’ London office.
