Jo Dagustun

@RMatthewsPsych Well ... You say leaders. Perhaps that's a key part of the problem. Who's the local boss of the maternity services? I'm not at all convinced by 'quad' leadership. You?

We know that OUH doesn’t meet required compliance for external involvement in PMRTs. Med neg experts tell us that with external involvement, the number of c/d classifications increases. How have #OxfordUniversityHospitals leaders allowed this to happen? #MaternitySafety

@Tim_TaylorSmith @babylifeline @CMcKinnellMP *out*

@Tim_TaylorSmith @babylifeline @CMcKinnellMP Yep - and this needs a serious answer, as there are many maternity improvement focussed people puzzled about this. Can you share a good paper setting our pros and cons, please @babylifeline ?

Serious question: If a system focuses on ‘learning rather than blame’, what mechanism ensures accountability when harm is avoidable and repeated? Because multiple maternity inquiries suggest learning alone hasn’t been enough. @babylifeline @CMcKinnellMP

'More like bouncers than carers' - what an evocative way of describing how maternity services can feel to women & families. This key point shouldn't be hidden away on dusty academic shelves. It's so heartening to see maternity services improvement on the agenda🙏 @AIMS_online

@DadOfAubrey @emilyltownsend @wesstreeting @MidwivesRCM Very well said, imho.

@emilyltownsend @wesstreeting There you have it. This is what the @MidwivesRCM will be focusing on. No mention of avoidable harm, inequalities, oversight, policy compliance, regulators.

NEW: The 17 members of the maternity and neonatal task force chaired by @wesstreeting have been revealed (see screenshot) Curious what people think of the makeup of this - it will be used to discuss various major updates, including recommendations from Thirlwall and Nottingham

“Tell me about a time you said Hell No when everyone else was smiling & nodding…….” This should be the first question to anyone about to sit on a patient safety task force No specific context, but people that just say yes can & will change nothing

@Shr_Nottingham 💯

@emilyltownsend Yes - and that's why the Expert Reference Group structure was established, I guess - to cater for the many professionals involved. I'm sorry to see the exclusions. @AIMS_online did make suggestions when it was asked, at least aims.org.uk/campaigning/it…

Perinatal mental health also strangely absent from this…

@isitsleepytime @RMatthewsPsych Thanks Joe.

@GibbleJo @RMatthewsPsych I appreciate you’ve made the best recommendations you could based on the constraints.

I’m pleased that there is a task force moving forward. But there’s a fairly key profession involved in maternity care that’s absent from this list. Surely there should be some involvement from OAA/ RCoA???

@RMatthewsPsych @isitsleepytime In light of the apparently fixed number of seats around Taskforce table, AIMS suggested one seat to represent the professional bodies, with an Expert Reference Group of all of them to feed in via their chair. Not perfect, but the best we could think of. aims.org.uk/campaigning/it…

@isitsleepytime The most kind & compassionate individuals I met in maternity when having my children have been anaesthetists. I can’t believe OAA/RCoA aren’t represented.

The Call for Evidence closes tonight 17th March at 23:59pm. We would like to hear from women, fathers, non-birthing partners, and family members across England about their experiences of maternity and neonatal care. #NMNI matneoinv.org.uk/call-for-evide…

@RMatthewsPsych @emilyltownsend @wesstreeting Good question. Worth asking Clea Harmer, given that she is to chair this ERG and will want to ensure that it gets off to a good start :-)

@emilyltownsend @wesstreeting Can you find out how the charity group was set up as I know of key charities focused on birth trauma/ birth injuries who have not been asked to participate.

@spectator And school too ...

'Parents don't realise that nurseries are day orphanages and warehouses for their children' Child psychotherapist Erica Komisar says parents are being bullied and misled into believing that daycare is good for their children, aruging that nurseries are effectively 'day orphanages' that cannot provides babies with the same safety and security provided by their parents. @EricaKomisarCSW @NatashaFeroze

1 day left to have your voice heard! If you have experience of maternity and neonatal care in England, you still have time to respond to our Call for Evidence. Even if you haven’t completed the full survey, you can still share any evidence you have. matneoinv.org.uk/call-for-evide…

I have been sharing this image with friends today - Happy Mother's Day! If you'd like to say thanks to this 65 (!) yr old 'institution' - that's AIMS, not me - then please feel free 'buy AIMS a coffee' and put a smile on our fabulous volunteers' faces ❤️ ko-fi.com/aims4abetterbi…

Each 'local' maternity and neonatal investigation sits within a national context. Does that make it essential to include a wide range of stakeholders in developing the Terms of Reference, beyond the chair and local families?

@LeftieMidwife @BirthTrauma Thank you Mary. I really appreciated the way that the implementation period drew attention to resourcing issues that are unacceptable in any model of care - that had previously been hiding in plain sight 🧐

@GibbleJo @BirthTrauma Sorry Jo for the delay,CofC biggest issue is intrapartum care,most schemes have community based teams with rotas/on call for delivery care. I found it led to big gaps in cover,staff burnout,safety issues,it could work but it would needs lots more staff and money.

"Continuity gives women a stable, familiar guide who knows their story, understands their concerns and advocates for them when the system is under strain." Doesn't this also suggest the need to address systemic problems? theconversation.com/seeing-the-sam…

Today we published the new National Maternity and Perinatal Audit report on multiple births outcomes in NHS maternity services across Great Britain. Multiple pregnancies affect around 1 in 65 pregnancies, and while most families will have healthy outcomes, these pregnancies carry higher risks for both mothers and babies. This report analyses births in England, Scotland and Wales during 2023, including more than 8,300 women and over 16,000 babies, and highlights important areas where maternity services can continue to improve care. Key findings include: • 64% of multiple births occur before 37 weeks • Higher rates of postpartum haemorrhage and caesarean birth compared with singleton pregnancies • Lower rates of skin-to-skin contact and breast milk at first feed, highlighting opportunities to improve early postnatal care The report also makes important recommendations to improve care, including better recording of chorionicity, improved data on assisted conception, and research into optimal fetal growth standards for twins and multiples. Read the full report: maternityaudit.org.uk/FilesUploaded/… @LSHTM @MidwivesRCM @RCObsGyn @TwinsTrust @NHSE_WTE @NHSuk @HQIP #MaternityCare, #MaternalHealth, #MultiplePregnancy, #TwinPregnancy, #PerinatalHealth, #Obstetrics, #FoetalMedicine, #PatientSafety, #QualityImprovement, #NHS, #MaternityServices, #WomenHealth, #PerinatalAudit, #NMPA, #HealthcareResearch

@emilyltownsend Yes - that new date came out when the Amos February update was published.

This from an answer to parliamentary Q suggests a "final report" of Amos investigation being published in June ... as far into spring as possible? questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questi…

We are heartily sick of @bbc promoting surrogacy and normalising this monstrous practice. Today, on @BBCr4today Thought for the Day, a commissioning father was given a platform to talk about becoming a father courtesy of a surrogate mother. @bbcnickrobinson