MATERNITY SERVICES IN CRISIS

As a national investigation is launched, what is really going wrong? And what needs to change?

- FRANCES LEATE

There's no shortage of horror stories when it comes to giving birth. For some women, far from being the happiest day of their lives, birthing experiences leave them with trauma that lasts a lifetime. While it’s true we always hear more of the negative stories than the positive, it can seem hard to find a mum who has had a good experience with both giving birth and with the aftercare she received.

Whether it’s the more extreme end of the spectrum - mums and their babies losing their lives - or women claiming they were left alone for too long, or not given enough support, the fact is, in many circumstances, women and their newborns are not being given the care they deserve.

In March 2022, an investigation into services at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust found that more than 200 mothers and babies could have survived with better care. That October, a review of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust found at least 45 babies might have survived if they had been given proper treatment.

Last year, not a single one of the 131 UK maternity units inspected received the top rating for providing safe care and £2.8 billion was paid out by NHS England for clinical negligence claims with a huge proportion of that being for maternity services. We all know how stretched our healthcare system is, how underfunded and understaffed our hospitals are, yet we know how hard our doctors and nurses work. So how can we stop so many mothers and children from being failed?

Now, with a rapid inquiry into some of the worst performing maternity and neonatal services in the country underway - and a pledge by the government to improve things - we speak to one woman who has experienced both sides.