In the Stakeholder Council we have a common purpose that focuses on the need for maternity transformation. We do not need to be convinced. Because we know the system is failing us and it has been for decades, service users and staff alike. I am sorry if that sounds harsh but it needs to be said.
We owe it to harmed families, in Shrewsbury and Telford and elsewhere, to ensure that change happens. To ensure that services across England are true to the Better Births vision, and deliver the improved outcomes we expect.
The key questions today for AIMS are these:
One of the key issues identified in the Ockenden Report was the difficulty in speaking up. So I’d like to suggest that the Stakeholder Council must speak up and speak honestly. Now is not the time to avoid the awkward conversations. Open debate is vital.
We need to move ahead steadily. I hope that all of us are able to set aside time to read the full Report carefully. It is not too late to do this. And this must be done with due diligence, for example with respect to the claims made and interpretations presented.
There are always different ways of interpreting evidence, and different inferences that may be drawn. So as we read, what really strikes each of us? What questions remain? What is missing from the story? What conclusions occur to us? And then, how does all this match up with the current programme. Where do we need to do better?
The Ockenden Report is an important public reckoning. By paying careful attention to the report, and those that follow, we will hopefully see an increasingly effective Maternity Transformation Programme. One that keeps transformation at its heart, and does not lose its way. For let’s be clear: a programme that delivers well-intentioned, but ultimately unsatisfactory, incremental change would help no-one.
We hope that this page is of interest, especially to our colleagues in the maternity services improvement community.
The AIMS Campaigns Team relies on Volunteers to carry out its work. If you would like to collaborate with us, are looking for further information about our work, or would like to join our team, please email campaigns@aims.org.uk.
You are welcome to quote from or link to this article in your own work to improve maternity services but please credit AIMS as the source. If you are using a quote please include the following words: “Quote from the AIMS article {URL}. AIMS is a charity that works towards better births for all by campaigning and information sharing, protecting human rights in childbirth and helping maternity service users to know their rights, whatever birth they want, and wherever they want it. See www.aims.org.uk"
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