Life is sacred, it is time to restore pride and respect in maternity care - Daxa Patel
Each time I hear of yet another failure in maternity care, my heart sinks. Have previous lessons truly been ignored, or is this still the accepted norm? The interim report led by the indomitable Baroness Amos, commissioned by the government, reminds us once again that maternity and neonatal care remain patchy and inconsistent.
At the extreme, families are left with permanent emotional pain and grief. The birth of a child is meant to be a sacred event for parents and their families. Women have been giving birth for centuries; this is not new territory. As a former clinical negligence lawyer, I am astounded that avoidable deaths and never events continue to occur in maternity care. Baroness Amos’s findings focus on six key areas.
Services depleted or halted due to capacity pressures, resulting in poor staffing in admissions and delivery units, thus compromising safety.
Poor relationships between team members, including obstetricians and midwives. This boils down to a lack of respect and poor communication. Racist and bullying behaviour by senior clinicians sometimes left unchallenged.
Structural racism and persistent inequalities leading to higher risks of adverse outcomes for women from Black and Asian backgrounds and those from deprived areas.
A lack of compassion and transparency when baby loss and harm occur. I can attest to this from the harrowing stories shared by clients who suffered traumatic experiences. The knock-on effect is mothers blaming themselves and a failure to learn from mistakes.
Care delivered in outdated and dilapidated buildings, sometimes compromising clinical standards. Bereavement spaces were insufficient or non-existent in some trusts.
Staff reporting maternity units short-staffed to provide safe care.
Baroness Amos stated: “It is clear from the meetings and conversations I have had with hundreds of women, families and staff members across the country that maternity and neonatal services in England are failing too many women, babies, families and staff.”
We live in a world that seems to have drifted away from core values of respect, compassion and decency. We must applaud those clinicians and midwives who provide excellent care, ensuring childbirth and aftercare are empowering for mothers, fathers (who must not be forgotten), babies and wider families. Maternity care is not person-specific; it is much more than that. When parents report racism, stereotyping, shame or feeling unheard, alarm bells should ring. Accountability and training must tackle these issues. More importantly, those who do not love caring for people on this journey should not be in this vocation.
One of our greatest challenges in a country blessed with different cultures is being culturally sensitive. This is not impossible; it boils down to respect, compassion and recognition. For mothers, fathers and families, childbirth is an extraordinary moment, often accompanied by trepidation, tempered by the feeling of and the joy of new life.
We must end patchy, postcode lottery care, not only because of the long-term poor outcomes but also the reputational damage it inflicts on the NHS. Certain NHS hospital trusts have found themselves at the heart of poor care, including Leeds, Morecambe, Shrewsbury and Telford, and Nottingham, to name a few.
I appreciate the honesty of the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, in recognising the importance of this issue and the need to tackle it. Babies in neonatal units and their families require the utmost care. These are often life-and-death moments where reaching out on a human level is invaluable.
Inquiries and commissions are not exercises in uncovering what we already know. They must be moments of full accountability, where bold policies replace platitudes. The government must demonstrate a genuine will to invest in maternity services, to secure truth and accountability for families, and to ensure that no parent ever feels neglected or unheard.
The time for hope has passed; what is required now is resolve. Every childbirth deserves to be met with love, attention, and the certainty that parents are truly ‘held’ throughout their journey.
We have the medical knowledge and some brilliant professionals in maternity care. But where people experience discrimination, racism or simply feel unheard, it is time to sit up and remedy the situation. Even accounting for ‘demanding’ patient behaviour versus genuine fear during a time when control feels lost, there is a need to bring in vast amounts of compassion and handholding. The arrival of new life is more than just checking a patient’s blood pressure.
Having walked through grief following the death of my father, I have learnt this much: life is sacred. The beginning, the middle and the final lap require holding with gentle hands. It is time to restore pride and respect; this is a gift.
Daxa Manhar Patel is a leadership coach, author and solicitor.