Bereaved mother calls on Health Secretary Wes Streeting to make urgent change to maternity services.

Katie Fowler’s daughter Abigail is one of nine babies to have died between 2021 and 2023 as a result of failings at the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust.

Katie is part of a group calling for a public inquiry into the standard of maternity provision and “systemic failures” at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, and has written to Mr Streeting to explain their reasons for concern – but received a response she describes as “insulting”.

The letter, from the Department of Health and Social Care, was received only days after the CQC released its findings from a review of 131 maternity units nationally, which warned that harm was in danger of becoming ‘normalised’ due to falling standards - something Mr Streeting described as being “a cause for national shame”.

Prior to the election, Mr Streeting committed to meeting with families bereaved by poor maternity care and said the issue gave him “in the pit of my stomach, a degree of anxiety”. More recently, senior midwife Donna Ockenden, chair of an independent review into maternity services at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, has called for an urgent meeting with Mr Streeting.

“In my letter, I said that nine babies had died avoidably – this wasn’t even acknowledged,” says Katie, whose daughter died at two days old after the Maternity Assessment Unit at the Royal Sussex County Hospital failed to give her appropriate advice during labour.

“Mr Streeting’s comments about maternity services had led me to believe he realises how urgent this is. So I was incredibly disappointed to receive such a flippant and impersonal response and it has made me question what the Government’s plans to fix maternity services actually are.”

Katie, who almost died herself after going into cardiac arrest while in labour, continues: “We’ve heard a lot of talk, but babies and mums will continue to die and be seriously harmed because of errors and poor standards in maternity care unless we see immediate action. This needs to be treated as a priority now.

“We really need to see action and not just words, because otherwise nothing will change, and families will continue to be torn apart and parents left destroyed through the avoidable loss of their babies.”

Nisha Sharma, Principal Lawyer and clinical negligence specialist, is acting for families in maternity cases nationally – including Katie and several others impacted by failings at University Hospitals Sussex.

“The vital and urgent need for action in maternity services is well known, and continues to be highlighted through official reports, as well as the heartbreaking experiences of bereaved families – but still nothing happens,” says Nisha.

“Families whose babies have died as a result of maternity failures are appealing to the Health Secretary for help, but are getting nowhere. I understand the trauma and utter devastation families feel through meeting with them directly – and I would urge Wes Streeting to do the same, so he can look these families in the eye and see their pain.

“This is why things need to change – so we can stop this recurring cycle of failings and ensure we protect mothers and babies. We are relying on Mr Streeting and his Department to take action, and it really can’t wait any longer.”

Maternity failings can lead to a host of devastating consequences. As well as supporting families after the loss of their baby, we also act for clients across the country who have experienced injury to mother and/or baby at birth.

If you have been affected by medical mistakes before, during or after birth, clinical negligence experts at Slater and Gordon can help. For support, contact us here.