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I have received this invitation through my networks and wanted to share it. I have never experienced the pain first hand of the loss of a baby. I do know many people who have and hope that this review may impact positively on those who face this dreadful situation in the future. Please share.

Maternity Review

Invitation to families whose baby has died or who experienced complications in their maternity care

Friday 6^th November, Manchester / Friday 20^th November, London

An independent review of NHS maternity services in England is underway to make recommendations for improvements in maternity care provision.

NHS England, in conjunction with the charities Sands and Bliss, would like to invite parents to come and share their views on maternity services if they have experienced the following:

• the death of their baby before, during or soon after birth or
• complications affecting the health of mother or baby (including neonatal admission after birth)

During these meetings we would like to talk to you about your views on maternity services. We will focus on learning from your experiences and listening to your suggestions on what can be done to improve maternity and neonatal services in the future.  Your views will be treated as confidential and all views will be respected.

The events will take place on Friday 6^th November in central Manchester and in London on the 20^th November.

At each event two sessions will be held for different groups of people:

Friday 6^th November, Manchester

Session 1 – for parents of babies who died before, during or soon after birth

9.30 – 13.15 (Arrival from 09.00), facilitated by Sands

Session 2 – for parents who experienced complications in pregnancy, labour or birth affecting the health of mother or baby, including admission to neonatal care.

14.00 – 16.30 (Arrival from 13.30), facilitated by Bliss

Friday 20^th November, London

Session 1 – for parents who experienced complications in pregnancy, labour or birth affecting the health of mother or baby, including admission to neonatal care

10.00 – 12.30 (Arrival from 09.30), facilitated by Bliss

Session 2 – for parents of babies who died before, during or soon after birth

13.00 – 16.15 (Arrival from 12.30), facilitated by Sands

To book your place, please email info@uk-sands.org, specifying which session you would like to attend and whether you would like to attend in Manchester or London.

For general enquiries about the Review please contact england.maternityreview@nhs.net

Please note that while your experience may relate to both sessions, you are requested to just choose one session in order to allow the maximum number of people to participate.

Travel costs can be reimbursed, and further information will be provided at the booking stage.

We recognise that it may be hard to take part in such discussions and therefore Sands and Bliss staff will be present to offer support should you need it.

Please note that these are designed as listening events and are not linked to any inquiry or investigation as to liability.

For more information on the purpose and scope of the review, please visit https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/futurenhs/mat-review/

The NHS Maternity Review will also be hosting an online questionnaire for those unable to attend these events and who would still like to contribute to the Review. This survey will be made available in the first week of November and we encourage you to revisit this site for the link so that you can submit your views.

Information on the NHS Maternity Review

The Maternity Review is a crucial part of the NHS Five Year Forward View and is being independently chaired by Baroness Julia Cumberlege. A number of working groups have been established to take the Review forward. These groups are made up of NHS staff, professional bodies and patient representatives who will gather solutions for improving maternity care in England.

Terms of reference of the Review state that it will:

• first, review the UK and international evidence and make recommendations on safe and efficient models of maternity services, including midwife-led units
• second, ensure that the NHS supports and enables women to make safe and appropriate choices of maternity care for them and their babies
• third, support NHS staff including midwives to provide responsive care

The Review is expected to report by the end of the calendar year.

For more information on how the NHS Maternity Review is being conducted and for a list of the core team members, please visit https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/futurenhs/mat-review/