FAMILIES with horror experiences of childbirth or maternity services on the NHS are urged to come forward for a national review that begins today.
The independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation has opened a call for evidence from the public.
Its chair Baroness Valerie Amos said: “I would like to hear from women and families across England.”
The investigation has been launched to tackle decades of NHS scandals and failures to improve mum-and-baby services.
A poll of 2,000 new and expectant parents yesterday revealed six in 10 women worry they will not be safe at their local hospital.
The National Childbirth Trust said the health service is “dangerously underfunded and understaffed”.
Nothing prepared me for the scale of unacceptable care
Baroness Valerie Amos,
Health Secretary Wes Streeting ordered the urgent national review last year, when he said: “It’s clear something is going wrong.”
Some of the NHS’ worst scandals have been in maternity units including at NHS trusts in Shropshire and Kent.
The Care Quality Commission rates only around half of NHS maternity units as “good”.
Baroness Amos’ investigation is open until March 17 for stories from mums, dads and family members who have used NHS maternity services.
She said: “In December I said that nothing had prepared me for the scale of unacceptable care that women and families have received and continue to receive.
“I am grateful to all the families who have engaged with me so far and recognise how difficult it can be for those who have been bereaved or harmed to relive those traumatic experiences.
“I encourage women from a wide range of backgrounds to share their experiences, as this will allow me to better understand and address the inequalities which persist in the system.
“I also want to hear about where compassionate and safe care has been delivered to try and ensure that it can be delivered for all. “
Stories can be submitted online at www.matneoinv.org.uk.
‘WORSE THAN EXPECTED’
In December Baroness Amos published a report of her first impressions after starting the investigation.
She said it was clear that “extremely concerning” numbers of women get poor care and that some hospitals are failing even on “basic care” like keeping wards clean.
Families whose babies die do not get enough kindness or support, the early report added.
The Labour peer said: “I knew that this would be challenging but what I have found so far has been much worse than I anticipated.
“I could not understand why, having read the media reports over the years of the experiences of harmed and bereaved families, so little seemed to have changed.”
