Sussex families feel ‘ignored’ over Brighton maternity review

Families calling for an investigation into maternity care in eastern Sussex say they feel ignored, exhausted and licensed “after meeting the president of a national exam.

The group met the Baroness Amos on Wednesday, saying that it was poorly informed and that no progress has been made.

Families, who have all lost babies in the Sussex NHS Trust university hospitals, have campaigned for an investigation for 18 months and insist that the senior midwife donna Ockenden is appointed to direct it.

The Ministry of Health and Social Coins (DHSC) said that Baroness Amos would work closely with families to “discover the truth”.

In June, Wes Streting Health Secretary announced a quick examination of maternity services in England and named Baroness Amos last week, a former main diplomat, to direct it. Streetting said he wanted work to be completed by December and that up to 10 local areas would have their maternity services examined as part of the investigation.

Nine families of Sussex, who say that medical errors have led to the death of their babies, were promised an examination of the street and the group thought that the meeting with Baroness Amos would progress the case.

But they said that the chair had told them that it was not aware of the history or expectations of families and that it did not have the power to decide which would lead it.

“We spoke directly to Wes Street and the Ministry of Health and Social Coins repeatedly about the results that these meetings make us,” families said in a statement.

“To reserve an hour of our time for a meeting, if necessary, an appropriate preparation had not taken place was deeply discouraging, and to think that we have still not progressed in our examination, despite many months of presentation of a clear case for a, writing the reference conditions and obtaining the support of Donna Ockenden, is exasperated.”

Ms. Ockenden is currently heading for maternity care exams in Nottingham after examining the services at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust.

Shortly before the meeting, the families were informed that Kathryn Whitehill, a former inspector of Care Quality Commission, had been appointed investigator on the exam, causing the anger of several families who had undergone poor maternity care.

“The bereaved parents had been promised that they would be consulted on appointments and have constantly returned the government that this investigation cannot be undertaken by anyone working for regulators responsible for the holding of fiducies responsible for maternity security,” added the declaration of families.

“These organizations are part of the system which has continued to provide dangerous maternity care and, as such, should be part of the objective of the survey rather than directing it.”

The appointment of Ms. Whitehill “raises serious doubts as to whether the exam can be independent or reliable,” added the press release.

The DHSC said that it had been supported because of its professional skills, its expertise and its experience and that it had not been permanently appointed to the exam.

The group’s concerns come following the criticism of the quick journal last week of a wider group of families.

Motherity Safety Alliance, which represents families of regions that have experienced bad maternity care, said that the street survey was “doomed to failure” before it begins because of the behavior of the Ministry of Health and the NHS in England.

Some other families have however expressed their desire to work with Baroness Amos.

A DHSC spokesperson said: “The Secretary of State has worked closely with injured and bereaved families throughout this process to ensure that they are at the heart of decision-making.

“Families asked for eyes, independence and compassion of new ones. The Baroness Amos has been appointed because of its exceptional leadership and change of change – national and international record.

“She will work in close collaboration with families to appoint her panel of experts and will finalize the mandate to discover the truth, face the problems and stimulate the necessary improvements so that each woman and each baby receives safe and high quality care.”