The Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit has written to the Secretary of State, raising our concerns about her comments and asking to meet. We believe mothers and babies in every part of the country deserve access to safe, quality care and it is vital we continue to campaign for improved maternity services.
In the letter, Robert Wilson, the Head of the Joint Policy Unit, explained that the approach of viewing individual services as ‘outliers’ risks overlooking far more widespread issues. While there are acute issues within specific services, with similar themes and recommendations emerging from maternity safety reports, it’s important the Secretary of State recognises the need for a more comprehensive national approach to improvement.
Last year, the Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit published our saving babies’ lives progress report, which identified variations in the care being offered to pregnant women, birthing people and their babies as a key issue of concern. While there are plenty of examples of good, and even excellent, care, elsewhere nationally agreed standards of care are not being followed which is contributing to avoidable deaths. The report also exposed the stark inequities which mean women and birthing people from minoritised ethnic communities and more deprived backgrounds are at much higher risk of poor pregnancy experiences and pregnancy and baby loss.
