New national maternity inquiry must result in change, says leading Shropshire lawyer
A national investigation into maternity care must lead to “real change and action, not just another set of recommendations”.
That’s the view of a legal expert who has acted on behalf of dozens of families affected by poor standards of care over many years at Shropshire’s largest hospitals.
Reacting to the news that the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust (SaTH) will be among 14 trusts reviewed as part of Baroness Valerie Amos's national review, Beth Heath, head of clinical negligence at Lanyon Bowdler in Shrewsbury, said people wanted to see lasting progress in improving care across the country.
She said: “I am pleased to see that the timing for the national maternity review has been pushed back to spring 2026, following an overly ambitious initial timeframe of Christmas 2025.
“It is imperative that sufficient time and resources are given to this review. The opportunity to change maternity services should not be wasted by a rushed review.
“There have been numerous independent investigations into various maternity services across over the years.
“Donna Ockenden made a raft of national recommendations when she conducted her review into the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and one has to question what was done with that information for us to be three and a half years on and in no seemingly better position.
“Baroness Amos has said her aim is to ‘deliver one clear set of national recommendations to achieve consistently high-quality, safe maternity and neonatal care’.
“There is no doubt this is something I wholeheartedly support. But the most important time will, in my opinion, come after.
“What will be done with these recommendations? If previous recommendations had been acted upon, would maternity services be in the position they are in now?
“Maternity services need real change and action, not just another set of recommendations.”
