Politics
Safer maternity care requires learning from the full breadth of staff and family experiences
Key Points
In 2001, my daughter (CB) died of hypoxia just minutes after her near term birth, due to events in labour. At the time, perinatal reviews to understand why babies died were ad hoc, lacking standardisation and parent perspectives. Today, the once marginalised voices of bereaved parents are being centred in the ongoing national maternity investigation in England1 and local maternity inquiries in Leeds and Sussex.23 Although amplifying bereaved and harmed parents' voices is welcome, the focus...
In 2001, my daughter (CB) died of hypoxia just minutes after her near term birth, due to events in labour. At the time, perinatal reviews to understand why babies died were ad hoc, lacking standardisation and parent perspectives. Today, the once marginalised voices of bereaved parents are being centred in the ongoing national maternity investigation in England1 and local maternity inquiries in Leeds and Sussex.23 Although amplifying bereaved and harmed parents' voices is welcome, the focus on the worst possible outcomes risks missing valuable learning from staff and other parents with important insights to share.Over the past 15 years, families courageously sharing their experiences of avoidable harm has prompted national and local reviews and investigations,45678 surveillance and review systems,9 financial incentives for improving maternity safety,10 pathways for safer practice,11 and individualised risk assessment tools to help respond to problems during labour.12 The number of babies who are stillborn or die...