England maternity commissioner role would be ‘fundamentally dangerous’, says campaigner
Summary
A campaigner whose daughter died due to maternity care failures in England warned that appointing a single national maternity commissioner could be dangerous and might not improve safety. The government plans to recruit this commissioner to hold hospitals accountable and improve care after a report highlighted problems like poor treatment and discrimination in maternity services.Key Facts
- Emily Barley’s daughter died in 2022 at Barnsley hospital due to care failures.
- Barley and her group, the Maternity Safety Alliance, oppose a single maternity commissioner role, fearing it concentrates too much power.
- The UK government will appoint its first national maternity and neonatal care commissioner to oversee and improve maternity services.
- The move follows the Amos review, which found the maternity system had poor care, failed to listen to women, and had racism and discrimination problems.
- The commissioner’s job includes investigating hospitals, pushing for improvements, and restoring family trust in the system.
- The Amos report recommends better maternity triage (emergency care similar to A&E), more staff, independent investigations when families are unhappy, and a fairer compensation system for harmed families.
- Baroness Amos said the role is meant to be an independent voice for women and families, not just concentrate power in one person.
- Amos prefers starting changes immediately over holding a long public inquiry, though she understands families want one.
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