On 9th January 2024 the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Birth Trauma established the first national inquiry in Parliament to investigate the reasons for birth trauma and to develop policy recommendations to reduce the rate of birth trauma. The findings of the Inquiry were published on 13 May 2024.
Inquiry Findings:
The Parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma found that there was shockingly poor quality in maternity services which resulted in care that lacked compassion and a system where poor care is all too frequently tolerated as normal. Women were “treated as an inconvenience” and errors were covered up by hospitals that frustrated parents’ efforts to find answers.
During the Inquiry, parents described their experiences. Harrowing accounts of stillbirth, premature birth, babies born with Cerebral Palsy caused by oxygen deprivation or Erb’s Palsy caused by nerve damage through compression, and life-changing injuries to women as the result of severe tearing and maternal sepsis were shared.
In many cases, the trauma was caused by mistakes and failures made before and during labour (NHS Negligence). Common themes which emerged from the Inquiry were failures to listen, lack of informed consent, poor communication, lack of pain relief, lack of kindness, breastfeeding problems, postnatal care, the impact of covid, complaints and clinical negligence.
Statistics:
According to the Birth Trauma Association, 4-5 % of women who give birth will develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) arising from a negative experience before, during or after delivery. This is approximately 30,000 women a year.
Rather than moments of joy and happiness for mothers giving birth, families and their experience of maternity care has been one of distress and the effects of these failures have been felt across families, communities and generations.
Response from the Royal College of Midwives following publication of report:
“Putting women at the centre of their own care, listening to them, learning lessons from both failed and successful maternity services is crucial to delivering safer better care” is the message from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) following the publication of the report.
Safe levels of staffing and ensuring there are enough midwives, so they have time with women, particularly during antenatal appointments, to pick up issues early on. In addition to discussing concerns and making decisions around birth choices and infant feeding choices is fundamental to delivering good quality maternity care says the RCM.
The RCM says it also supports the call for the reinstatement of a Maternity Commissioner with accountability to the Prime Minster, this the College says is very much needed particularly as their remit would include a commitment to tackle inequalities in maternity care for Black, Asian and minority ethnic women.
On 21 May 2024, Louise Thompson, Made in Chelsa star spoke out to Lorraine about her traumatic birth where she revealed that she will never get pregnant again.
The Made in Chelsea star’s traumatic childbirth experience led to a caesarean section and life-changing injuries, she suffered haemorrhages, the removal of her colon, fitting of a stoma bag and a series of physical and mental health conditions, including PTSD.
What’s next?
The All-Party Parliamentary Group have put forward 12 recommendations in the published report:
- Recruit, train and retrain more midwives, obstetricians and anaesthetists to ensure safe levels of staffing in maternity services and provide mandatory training on trauma-informed care.
- Provide universal access to specialist maternal mental health services across the UK to end the postcode lottery.
- Offer a separate 6-week check post-delivery with a GP for all mothers which includes separate questions for the mother’s physical and mental health to the baby.
- Roll out and implement, underpinned by sufficient training, the OASI (obstetric and anal sphincter injury) care bundle to all hospital trusts to reduce risk of injuries in childbirth.
- Oversee the national rollout of standardised post-birth services, such as Birth Reflections, to give all mothers a safe space to speak about their experiences in childbirth.
- Ensure better education for women on birth choices. All NHS Trusts should offer antenatal classes. Risks should be discussed during both antenatal classes and at the 34-week antenatal check with a midwife to ensure informed consent.
- Respect mothers’ choices about giving birth and access to pain relief and keep mothers together with their baby as much as possible.
- Provide support for fathers and ensure the nominated birth partner is continuously informed and updated during labour and post-delivery.
- Provide better continuity of care and digitise mother’s health records to improve communication between primary and secondary health care pathways. This should include the integration of different IT systems to ensure notes are always shared.
- Extend the time limit for medical negligence litigation relating to childbirth from three years to five years.
- Commit to tackling inequalities in maternity care among ethnic minorities, particularly Black and Asian women. To address this NHS England should provide funding to each NHS Trust to maintain a pool of appropriately trained interpreters with expertise in maternity and to train NHS staff to work with interpreters.
- NIHR to commission research on the economic impact of birth trauma and injuries, including factors such as women delaying returning to work.
It is hoped that the findings in the report highlight the much-needed improvements required in maternity care in the UK and that the policy recommendations are considered to reduce the rate of birth trauma.
How Prosperity Law Can Help You
If you think that you or a loved one has been injured as a result of medical negligence associated with birth trauma, then you may be able to make a claim.
If you want to discuss your medical negligence claim contact Prosperity Law now for a free consultation with a qualified specialist solicitor. We hold Clinical Negligence Accreditation from the law society ensuring your case is being dealt with by an expert team.
If you would like to know more about how Prosperity Law can help you for your medical negligence claim or our many other services, then please contact us today for a confidential consultation with a qualified solicitor. Call us on 0151 909 1848 or Email: newenquiries@prosperitylaw.com
