Introduction to the Investigation
Fourteen hospital trusts should be examined as part of a national investigation into the "failures" of motherhood and newborn services. Baroness Amos will lead an investigation in which bereaved families are involved in English maternity provision. New data shows that mothers and their babies are harmed by a "toxic" culture of "cover-up" in healthcare.
The Selected NHS Trusts
The selected NHS trusts are:
- Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Oxford University Hospital
- Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
- Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
- University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
- Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
The Investigation and Its Goals
Among the trusts is the Oxford University Hospitals Trust, where more than 500 families claim to have suffered damage. The co-founder of campaigns, Rebecca Matthews, said the group of families who had failed by Ouh maternity services was "pleased and relieved" to be accepted. Baroness Amos said "it is important" that the experiences of mothers and families affected are the focus of the examination from their "very beginning" and "completely heard".
Focus on Inequalities and Marginalized Groups
She added: "We will pay special attention to the inequalities that black and Asian women and families from marginalized groups face, whose voices have been overlooked too often." The investigation aims to address the systemic issues and ensure that the voices of all families, including those from marginalized groups, are heard and valued.
Response from Royal College of Midwives
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said it was essential that the "investigations take place at speed". Chief Executive Gill Walton stated, "It is important that this work gets going quickly so that the families who have suffered unimaginable damage will receive the answers they need, and hard-pressed maternity employees receive support and investment they have asked for." She emphasized that it should not be the case that black and Asian women in the 21st century in Great Britain die disproportionately during birth or soon after, or that their babies achieve worse results.
