Amos Report Latest: A Birth Injury Specialist’s Response

“Despite previous reviews and a commitment to improve, we still see these issues happening time and time again. The Amos Report findings come off the back of Donna Ockenden’s review last week and goes to the heart of patient safety.

“The report describes repeated failures to listen to women, birthing people and families with poor communication, lack of informed consent, fragmented care and weak accountability adding to an ever-growing list of ongoing issues. Baroness Amos has highlighted the impact of all these factors on patient safety and we, as practitioners, constantly hear of families feeling disregarded and unheard. 

“The system is very fragmented and it was built for generations – which have changed over the years. Our system has developed in a very piecemeal way and Baroness Amos has highlighted the inconsistencies within that – with safety not embedded consistently.   

“Through the work we undertake at CL Medilaw, we see parents and families turning to the litigation process because they’re waiting for answers for significant lengths of time. I think what needs to happen on the back of this report is a push towards transparency and honesty – having those conversations openly about why things have gone wrong so people can understand what has happened during their care journey.”

Fran adds she sees a real need for action following today’s report:

“The Amos report suggests several time limited recommendations and it’s hoped these are properly resourced and monitored independently. If that happens, we could see some real and much-needed progress over the next 12 months. Sustained and measurable change on the ground is what we need to see now and is what families deserve – because there is a real, lifelong impact to poor maternity and neonatal care that the families we see are living with. 

“I think the individual reports into more localised trusts highlight the national themes are experienced locally – demonstrating the wider pattern of unsafe and inconsistent care. If you read the individual reports, they remind us that leadership, culture and accountability on a regional level matters enormously.

“For the families in these highlighted areas, this is going to be difficult reading and they should be supported. The review also raises an important point about variation and there should be consistency of care across the board – it shouldn’t be postcode dependent. Everyone is entitled to a fair, equitable and compassionate system which should serve everyone in England.”