Pregnant women should be given own A&E to spot warning signs, maternity scandal report says

Pregnant women should be given their own Accident & Emergency (A&E) units to spot warning signs, a national review has recommended.

Baroness Amos has said that all aspects of Britain’s maternity services need overhauling, including the creation of rapid access maternity triage services.

The change would allow pregnant women to see senior midwives and obstetricians at much shorter notice than is currently accessible.

The investigation was launched by former Health Secretary West Streeting, with the aim of learning from the mistakes highlighted in a series of maternity scandals across the country.

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

Baroness Amos said: “Many families made it very clear at the outset in our early meetings that they did not want my investigation.”

She added that her role was to prevent further harm, despite calls for a public inquiry, as well as individual reviews.

A report by senior midwife Donnna Ockenden found that there were 520 cases of death and avoidable harm among mothers and babies at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust since 2012.

The report found that women were repeatedly turned away despite pleas for admission in pursuit of the "quest for a normal birth".

Baroness Amos’s report has called for an urgent overhaul of the entire maternity system, with the “most critical” action for trusts to review their triage process.

She stated that one of the clearest lessons from her investigation was that staff repeatedly failed to listen to women who were telling them something was wrong.

She added: “Women who know their own bodies were talking about what was happening, that there were changes, that they were bleeding, and this was just dismissed or not listened to by anybody.”

The report included contributions from over 9,000 staff members.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• NHS hospitals defy trans ruling and allow biological men to use female-only wards
• Darlington nurses 'delighted' after winning huge payout in NHS row over trans colleagues
• Nottingham maternity scandal 'not an outlier' as expert warns same deadly mistakes are being repeated across NHS

It also claimed racism and discrimination are embedded throughout maternity services, with the Labour government announcing a rollout of an “anti-discrimination programme” for NHS staff.

The Labour peer found women were subjected to anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and “racial slurs” by staff.

Jewish families suffered “more explicit anti-Semitic attitudes,” with one family being told “Jewish people are sneaky,” and Muslim women had assumptions made about their ability to speak English as well as their clothing.

The investigation also made 293 references to “birthing people” as well as women.

Baroness Amos said that the language was used to be “inclusive,” however, expected objections.

She told the Telegraph: “I absolutely recognise that there will be some women who will be concerned about that ... This is not about gaslighting anybody, it’s about trying to be as inclusive as possible.”

The report also cites “misgendering and improper use of pronouns” as a barrier to good care for LGBT families, saying co-parents were often mistaken for a “sister” or “friend.”

The review gathered the views of over 450 families and received more than 10,500 responses to a public call for evidence.

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter