The recently published National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation final report from Baroness Amos concluded that care is not consistently safe or fair, despite many previous reviews and recommendations.
The report says the problem is systemic with fragmented national services which are under pressure, inconsistently led, and too slow to learn when harm occurs.
Helen Budge, Partner in our clinical negligence team who specialises in birth injuries, said:
“This report comes just days after the findings of the Ockenden Maternity Review were published and follows a series of inquiries and investigations, all of which have identified systemic problems in maternity and neonatal services in England. These include staffing shortages, rising demand, poor IT systems, inconsistent leadership and a failure to learn when things go wrong.
What the Amos review makes clear is that this problem is not isolated to a handful of hospitals or trusts. It is a national crisis. While many families receive safe, compassionate and high-quality obstetric care, the review shows that this is not consistently the case across England. Maternity and neonatal care remains too variable, with failures in safety, equity and compassion resulting in repeated cases of avoidable harm.”
The investigation drew on a large evidence base from over 450 families covering 12 NHS trusts throughout England.
Based on the findings at these hospitals, Baroness Amos stated how a complete overhaul of the maternity system is required because the system is not fit for now or the future.
Helen said:
“As a clinical negligence solicitor representing women and children in birth injury cases, I have seen far too many examples of women’s concerns being dismissed during labour, or families being ignored when they raise concerns about the health of a newborn. The consequences are often devastating, including the deaths of mothers and babies, and children being left with lifelong disabilities. That harm is often further compounded by investigation processes which families find slow, defensive and difficult to navigate.
As Baroness Amos says in the Foreword to her report, we cannot continue like this. It is simply not acceptable in the 21st century that a safe birth should feel like a lottery. The recommendations in her report must now be acted upon, given the time and support needed to work, and used to drive meaningful, lasting change.”
In the report, Baroness Amos made eight recommendations to improve maternity care, one of which was to urge the government to introduce the first ever maternity and neonatal commissioner to ensure changes are made.
How can we help?
If you have experienced something similar to the families involved in the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation and would like to find out how to make a birth injury claim, you can find out more on our dedicated birth injury page. Our expert solicitors are here to help.
