The Guardian view on maternity care failings: Wes Streeting’s new inquiry must learn from past mistakes, not repeat them | Editorial

TThe announcement of a new survey on maternity care failures in England, including the shocking risk of mortality faced by black and Asian mothers, indicates a delayed recognition that improvements are necessary. From the 2015 devastating magazine of a decade of failure to the Bay of Morecambe, to the report on the birth trauma of last year of the deputies, women do not miss that women are faced with unacceptable risks during childbirth on the NHS. The question is whether an examination chaired by Wes Stting itself can achieve what the previous ones do not have.

His role as president is not the only new aspect of this investigation. A panel comprising bereaved parents will share their experiences and knowledge, in addition to the evidence of experts. This format should concentrate the mind on the human consequences of systemic failures, including deaths by mother and for baby, and on the need for responsibility when things go wrong.

But although the ultimate objective is a “national set of actions”, there is no moving away from local variations. Part of the impetus behind this examination comes from Sussex activists and other areas where maternity services are currently making serious concerns. Ten of them will now be examined in the first stage of the investigation.

Past surveys have generally highlighted a combination of cultural resources and factors, including bad leadership, seeking to explain why and how things went wrong. These results were not limited to the hospitals themselves and included regulators.

But the reality is always complex and not reducible to sound points. For example, bad relationships and communication between nurses and doctors are known to cause maternity problems. When such conflicts were discovered, they generally had an ideological aspect, relating to different attitudes with vaginal and Caesarians. But they can also be linked to broader questions about the level of competence and investment in the labor market.

In his seminal examination of care failures in the Mid Staffordshire, Sir Robert Francis asked the National Institute of Health and Excellence in terms of care to examine the evidence of the endowment and patient safety ratios, and to make recommendations. But in 2015, as Professor Anne Marie Firoferty and Professor Alison Leary noted it in an article on the inheritance of this report, this work was suspended. They believe that this decision was motivated by the anxiety of the conservative government about the potential costs on costs.

Mr. Streting says he is horrified by what he has heard of maternity care failures, in particular the lack of compassion shown to families after losses that change life. Hence his decision to make this question a “decisive test” for the government. But the increase in standards in the context of close financing establishments, high levels of unmet needs and current personnel difficulties will be a huge challenge.

Public inquiries led by the judge should not be the only way for persons who failed by the State to request the compensation. Mr. Streting’s maternity magazine looks like an attempt valid to develop an alternative – and it deserves praise for explaining this. With a commitment to present results at the end of the year, he hopes to avoid one of the faults with requests – which they take too long. The problem of how to provide the responsibility that affected people want is more insoluble. The hardest part of all, to judge by past experience is to transform the conclusions of these requests into viable plans for real service improvements.

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