Bereaved families join UK's maternity task force

Bereaved families from across south-east England are working with the government to improve maternity and neonatal care in hospitals around the UK.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced a team of 17 people, including healthcare professionals and families who have lost babies, who he says will "drive improvement".

Among them is Helen Gittos whose daughter sustained a brain injury during child birth at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate and lived for just one week.

Streeting says the new task force will be ready to make the changes recommended by the national maternity and neonatal investigation, which is currently probing 12 NHS trusts.

The investigation being carried out by Baroness Amos is due to be published in June.

In February she said she had found "too many" families were being failed "at every stage" of the maternity journey.

A set of national recommendations to improve care, reduce inequalities and help affected families to achieve justice will be included in Baroness Amos's report.

Gittos, who said she felt blamed by hospital staff for Harriet's death, says she hopes the professional bodies involved in the task force act "bravely, boldly and decisively" to create services women can trust.

"No one can be in any doubt about the scale and seriousness of the problems in maternity services," she said.

"I look forward to working with Wes Streeting to ensure that the changes that are so urgently needed are properly implemented."

Also on the task force driving those recommended changes is Louise Stead, CEO of Ashford and St Peter's and Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trusts.

On Monday, families from Sussex met the health secretary to share their experiences.

Following the meeting Streeting said: "I want to thank the Sussex families for taking the time to meet with me, and speaking so candidly in our in-depth discussion on the independent review.

"Families have endured unacceptable failures in maternity care and I am committed to ensuring the review process itself does not add to that burden.

"I hope the families were reassured that their experiences and wishes will shape a review that they can have full confidence in, which is based on evidence and uniquely tailored to Sussex."

Streeting added: "I will be updating the families on progress in the coming weeks and visiting them in Sussex in April to ensure the review will deliver the answers and accountability they deserve."

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