Families must remain at the heart of maternity reform
Listening to families must drive change
Today belongs, first and foremost, to the families whose courage, persistence and determination made this Review possible. For years, mothers, fathers and relatives spoke out about the care they received, often while carrying profound grief, trauma and loss. We pays tribute to every family who shared their experience and helped bring about this moment.
The Review’s findings are deeply troubling. They set out repeated failures to listen to women and families, missed opportunities to act on concerns, and harm that could and should have been prevented. The response must now be honest, accountable and sustained.
At its heart, the Review is a stark reminder that listening is not a “nice to have” in healthcare. Listening to women, believing women, acting on concerns and involving families in decisions are essential to safe, compassionate care.
As organisations across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire respond to the Review’s recommendations, women and families must not be pushed to the margins once the headlines move on. Their experiences must shape, challenge and test every improvement plan.
We also welcome the Review’s efforts to hear from communities whose voices are too often overlooked. The NHS must build on this by making sure women from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic communities, disabled women, women facing poverty, women with limited English proficiency and others who face barriers to care are consistently heard, respected and involved in shaping maternity services.
“Behind every finding in this Review is a woman, a baby and a family whose experience matters. We owe an enormous debt to the families who refused to be silenced and continued to fight for answers and change.
These findings are difficult to read and will be deeply upsetting for many people across our communities. What matters now is action. Organisations must respond with honesty, humility and determination, and families must be able to see that meaningful change is happening.
Women and families should never have to fight to be heard. Safe care depends on listening, and the voices of those most affected by these failures must remain central to every stage of reform.”
What needs to happen next
We are calling on Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, NHS England and partners across the local health and care system to:
- Implement the Review’s recommendations in full and at pace.
- Put women and families at the centre of improvement work, investigations and decision-making.
- Show clear, measurable progress through transparent public reporting.
- Embed equality, accessibility and culturally safe care across maternity services.
- Build a culture where concerns are heard, acted on and learned from.
This Review belongs to the families who fought tirelessly to be heard. As improvement work moves forward, their experiences must continue to shape decisions, challenge systems and influence the changes that follow.
We will continue to champion independent opportunities for women and families to share their experiences of maternity care in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
