National investigation into NHS maternity services launched after families ‘gaslit’
A “rapid” national investigation into NHS maternity services has been launched by the government.
The announcement comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting met families who have lost babies and amid the ongoing investigations at some NHS trusts into maternity care failings.
The investigation in England is intended to provide truth to families suffering harm, as well as driving urgent improvements to care and safety, as part of efforts to ensure “no parent or baby is ever let down again”.
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The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) welcomed the government’s announcement and said maternity services were “at, or even beyond, breaking point”.
Last week, the NHS regulator said maternity and neonatal services at two Leeds hospitals had been rated inadequate over safety issues.
Mr Streeting, who was speaking at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) conference in London, apologised on behalf of the NHS for what families had been through and said it was “clear something is going wrong”.
He added: “For the past year, I have been meeting bereaved families from across the country who have lost babies or suffered serious harm during what should have been the most joyful time in their lives.
“What they have experienced is devastating – deeply painful stories of trauma, loss, and a lack of basic compassion – caused by failures in NHS maternity care that should never have happened.
“Their bravery in speaking out has made it clear: we must act – and we must act now.”
Mr Streeting said families have had to “fight for truth and justice” and had described being “ignored, gaslit, lied to, manipulated and damaged further by the inability for a trust to simply be honest with them that something has gone wrong”.
Wes Streeting speaking during the RCOG conference. Pic: PA
The investigation will consist of two parts.
The first will investigate up to 10 of the most concerning maternity and neonatal units, including Sussex, in the coming weeks to give affected families answers as quickly as possible, according to the Department of Health.
The second will be a “system-wide” look at maternity and neonatal care, uniting lessons from past inquiries to create one clear set of actions designed to improve NHS care.
A National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will be chaired by Mr Streeting and made up of experts and bereaved families.
The investigation will begin this summer and report back by December.
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Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said: “This rapid national investigation must mark a line in the sand for maternity care – setting out one set of clear actions for NHS leaders to ensure high quality care for all.”
Dr Ranee Thakar, president of the RCOG, said: “The maternity workforce is on its knees, with many now leaving the profession.”
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RCM chief executive Gill Walton said: “Everyone involved in maternity services – the midwifery community, obstetricians, anaesthetists, sonographers and, of course, the women and families in their care – knows that maternity services are at, or even beyond, breaking point.
“This renewed focus and commitment by the health secretary to deliver change is welcome, and we will do everything we can to support him in doing so.”
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Palestine Action will be proscribed as a terrorist organisation, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said.
The action has been taken after the activist group claimed responsibility for breaking into RAF Brize Norton last week.
Footage released by the group showed them vandalising aircraft – with reports of damage totalling millions of pounds.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said “the disgraceful attack on Brize Norton” on Friday was “the latest in a long history of unacceptable criminal damage committed by Palestine Action”
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Some of the damage to planes at RAF Brize Norton
She said a draft proscription order will be laid in parliament next week and if passed, it will make it illegal to be a member of, or invite support for, Palestine Action.
Proscription can lead to prison sentences of up to 14 years for some offences, although some breaches are punishable with fines.
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Saeed Taji Farouky, a member of the group, told Sky News the proscription was “completely irrational” and “without precedent”.
He branded it a “knee-jerk reaction from the government” because the group “was able to humiliate them and show serious flaws in the defences of the RAF base”.
A supporter of Palestine Action in London. Pic: PA
Armed forces minister Luke Pollard said a “full review” of security at military bases was under way, and the government was working alongside counter-terror police to find the activists who broke into the Oxfordshire base.
The group has also claimed responsibility for several incidents involving red paint being sprayed on businesses.
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A protest in support of Palestine Action was taking place on Monday in London.
Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police, said he was “shocked and frustrated” that the action was going ahead.
He added that he had limited powers to stop the demonstration until proscription takes place.
Police officers remove people taking part in a Palestine Action protest. Pic: PA
The Metropolitan Police three people had been arrested at the Palestine Action protest in Trafalgar Square – two for obstruction and one for a “racially aggravated public order offence”.
In her statement to parliament, Ms Cooper said Palestine Action “publicises and promotes its attacks involving serious property damage”.
She said the group had claimed responsibility for an attack on a Jewish-owned business in north London, as well as causing millions of pounds of damage to defence businesses.
Yvette Cooper announced Palestine Action will be proscribed on Monday. Pic: PA
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The home secretary said, however, that if parliament supports the proscription, the right to “peaceful protest” will remain unaffected.
“It is vitally important that those seeking to protest peacefully, including pro-Palestinian groups, those opposing the actions of the Israeli government, and those demanding changes in the UK’s foreign policy, can continue to do so,” she added.
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