National Maternity Inquiry announced

maternity negligence inquiry
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Wes Streeting’s announcement of the launch of a National Maternity Inquiry is a welcome announcement for the maternity safety and baby loss communities who have been arguing for the need of such an investigation for a long time. This inquiry comes off the back of several local independent reviews, such as the Ockenden Review, Derby and Burton review, and the Kirkup Inquiry, which identified common themes and failings across the UK.

The Government have announced that stage 1 of the investigation will focus on “up to 10” of the worst performing hospitals across the country, including Gloucester and Leeds – both Trusts that have recently been in the spotlight for their failings in maternity care, Sussex and Mid and South Essex. It is not yet known which other Trusts may form part of the stage 1 review.  Stage 2 will then look at the systemic issues affecting all maternity units.

The Inquiry is due to start in the summer and be finished by December 2025, with the report due some time in 2026.

Enable Law represents Alex Barr, a member of the Maternity Safety Alliance who have been campaigning for a National Maternity Inquiry.

Alex says: “Comfort was taken from hearing Mr Streeting’s recognition of the failings in NHS maternity care, having experienced this first hand with our daughter Marnie. For our family and the thousands more, it has a devastating impact with lasting trauma further compounded by the lack of accountability from the NHS.  Whilst positive to hear that maternity failings have been acknowledged by Mr Streeting, the systemic failings in maternity care will only be addressed through a full public inquiry.  My concern is that a rapid review will lack sufficient time to give a full picture of the scale of the maternity failings across England and consequently only reinstate the need for a full public inquiry.  I support the Maternity Safety Alliance in their dedication, hard work and commitment in calling for a National Statutory public inquiry“.

The specialist baby loss team at Enable Law also welcomed yesterday’s announcement.  Nicola Rawlinson-Weller and Jennifer Janes, who have worked with numerous families over the years across England and Wales, said “The main aim of parents in bringing a claim is to try and ensure that lessons are learnt from the mistakes made. We encourage Trusts to do this, but it is clear from the families we support that this isn’t happening often enough or quickly enough. We sadly see the same issues arising again and again across the country.  It is time that the root causes of these issues are identified and rectified, ensuring that these life changing failings are prevented. We have supported the call for a national inquiry and are pleased by the announcement yesterday.  We only hope that the investigation is thorough, the investigators work collaboratively with families and any recommendations are implemented quickly and safely.  Reducing baby loss should be a top priority for everyone in society, and we believe this could be a vital step in achieving this.”

How we can help

If you or your baby suffered an injury or your baby died as a result of poor maternity care in England or Wales, our specialist baby loss team at Enable Law may be able to help you. We will listen to your experience of what happened, take some details and see whether there is a medical negligence case to be investigated. We offer all initial discussions free of charge and with no obligation to proceed. To talk to one of our experts call us on 0800 044 8488 or fill in our contact form so we can call you back at a time convenient to you.

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