For several months now, my team and I have been working with a group of local parents who have gone through the nightmare of baby loss.
Pregnancy is a time of enormous hope and, at times, trepidation. For some families, the worst has gone on to happen when in the care of Queen's Hospital's maternity unit. While understanding tragic experiences and securing change can never make up for the profound and enduring loss of a child, these local families hope that by sharing their experiences and getting care improved, we can minimise the chances of any others going through what they did.
This is why we have been asking questions and making representations to the Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals Trust (BHRUT - of which Queen's is part) on their behalf.
On Friday, I received confidential notification from Baroness Amos that Queen's will be included in her maternity review. Baroness Amos was appointed over the summer by the Health Secretary to lead the national maternity and neonatal investigation. The review will identify ways to urgently improve care and the safety of mothers and babies.
Baroness Amos made clear to me that bereaved and harmed families will be central to the investigation, including working with her to shape her team of expert advisers and the terms of reference.
My team and I will now be working with families on next steps and will keep everyone in the loop. Throughout, I want to support Queen's on their improvement journey because that is what matters for babies - that we get better services, higher quality treatment, and families feel listened to.
Queen's Chief Exec has set out some of the work already underway to improve things, including the recruitment of 164 more midwives since 2021, a lower vacancy rate, 12 more Obstetrics and Gynaecology consultants since 2022 (with two more joining soon) and an increase to resident doctor numbers.
Pre-term screening for pre-eclampsia has also been introduced and they are offering enhanced ‘continuity of carer’ (where women are supported by the same team throughout their pregnancy) in areas where health inequalities have been identified.
Thank you to everyone who is engaging with us on this important work - both families and NHS staff.
