Shropshire maternity campaigner welcomes national inquiry
The announcement of an investigation into maternity care in England has been welcomed by a bereaved mother who has been campaigning for safety improvements for more than a decade.Rhiannon Davies, who lost her daughter Kate in 2009 due to mistakes made by the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust (SATH), said: "It's clear that [Health Secretary] Wes Streeting has listened to the families."But while backing the inquiry, which was announced on Monday, she sounded a note of caution, stating that change must ultimately come from "clinicians on the ground".The probe is to look at some of the the worst-performing maternity and neonatal services, and report back in December.
Prior to the announcement, Streeting met parents who lost babies in a series of maternity scandals at various NHS trusts. He said the investigation would "make sure these families get the truth and the accountability they deserve".Ms Davies, who now lives in Hereford, was involved in those discussions last week, and said the proposals he showed to the families then were "very very different" to what emerged on Monday."He clearly listened to us when we told him that what he was proposing was nowhere near enough," she said, adding Streeting was "on the side of" families.She did, though, suggest bereaved parents in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were likely to feel disappointed by the focus on England.Ms Davies's daughter Kate was six hours old when she died. A campaign by Ms Davies and Kate's father Richard Stanton culminated in the Ockenden Review of maternity care at SATH, which concluded catastrophic and repeated failures led to the deaths of more than 200 babies.
Making the announcement on Monday, Streeting apologised on behalf of the NHS to those families who had suffered avoidable harm.It comes after a series of maternity scandals including those in East Kent, Nottingham and Shrewsbury and Telford.The inquiry will initially review up to 10 maternity and neonatal units, the identity of which has yet to be decided, although it was confirmed University Hospitals Sussex and Leeds would feature.
Ms Davies said that based on discussions, she expected a "national maternity and neonatal taskforce" to be chaired by Streeting.She stated that such development encouraged her that families were being heard.That was different, she said, to 2009, when she first started her fight - a campaign which had led to this point, she added.
Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
19 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Hundreds celebrate International Yoga Day at Glasgow event
The Scottish Hindu Foundation hosted a celebration at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow on Saturday, June 21, in honour of International Yoga Day. This unique event attracted participants from across the country for a day of yoga, meditation, and cultural activities. Read more: Free football camps to take place across Glasgow this summer The programme included a Sun Salutations Marathon Challenge, laughter yoga, beginner and chair yoga, kids' sessions, face and therapy yoga, Swara and Hatha yoga, live music, and cultural performances. Dr Richa Sinha, chair of the Scottish Hindu Foundation, said: "We're overwhelmed by the turnout and the shared spirit of wellness. "It's amazing to see so many people—from first-timers to seasoned practitioners—come together in harmony to celebrate the power of yoga." The event began with Vedic chanting and lamp lighting, setting a spiritual tone for themed sessions focused on breathwork, balance, asanas, and meditation. All sessions were open to participants of every ability level. The Sun Salutations challenge was won by two women: a practicing NHS GP and a retired Police Scotland officer. To mark the event, the venue was decorated using eco-friendly materials, and attendees enjoyed healthy food stalls, handmade crafts, and holistic products from local vendors. Read more: Hundreds of Glasgow pupils to get free school meals in child poverty initiative (Image: Supplied) The inclusive atmosphere attracted families, seniors, children, and young professionals. Many stayed into the evening for the closing Kirtan meditation, led by Shri Prana Prabhu Ji from ISKCON, which included a sound bath. The event not only promoted physical and mental wellness but also emphasised sustainability and community spirit. Organisers extended thanks to the volunteers, instructors, sponsors, and the police team, who made a surprise visit on the day. With strong community support and positive feedback, the Scottish Hindu Foundation has already confirmed that the event will return next year on June 20.
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
How an NHS team is changing lives — by 3D printing body parts
When David Richards was left with severe facial injuries after being knocked off his bike by a drunk driver, he faced a long road to recovery. The journey has now been made just a little easier by a pioneering NHS centre that prints replacement body parts. Richards, 75, from Devon, was cycling in Meare, Somerset, with two friends in July 2021 when they were hit from behind. His friends suffered broken bones and he lost his nose and an eye. 'The driver was on his phone,' he said. 'I was trapped underneath the vehicle and got severe burns down one side of my body and face.' After a series of reconstruction operations he is one of the first patients at the Bristol 3D Medical Centre — the first in the NHS where 3D scanning, design and printing have been brought together on one site to produce bespoke medical devices and prostheses. Amy Davey is the senior reconstructive scientist at the centre, which is part of the North Bristol NHS Trust. 'We provide small facial and body prostheses — noses, ears, eyes, fingers, toes, even nipples,' she said. 'As a profession, we've long known that 3D printing would transform what we do. We're a very small team — there are three of us, and we work very hard. And the motivation, really, is that there are so many people that we can help.' For Richards, the process began with his face being photographed from several angles. The images were used to create a highly-accurate 3D digital replica of his head. This model was then used as the foundation to design a facial prosthesis. In his case, a mould was 3D-printed and used to craft a prosthesis from silicone; for other patients, the parts of the prosthesis or a prosthetic implant could be printed from plastic or titanium. Richards had previously experienced the traditional process, which involved making a plaster cast of his face and was time-consuming and messy. 'Now, they just take a few photographs from different angles, and the software meshes it all together. It's incredible,' he said. As well as being less intrusive, the new techniques can produce prostheses that are more accurate. 'It's those small margins that matter,' he added. 'You look in the mirror and think, 'Okay, I look a bit better today.'' Other patients at the centre include people who have had operations to remove cancers and babies with plagiocephaly and brachycephaly, conditions that affect the shape of their skull. Previously, these infants would have needed a general anaesthetic to stop them from wriggling while a mould of their skull was produced to make a special helmet to help reshape their head. 'With our 3D surface scanning, the baby can move around freely and happily, and a 3D-printed helmet subsequently produced from that scan,' Davey said. By scanning patients while they move, her team can also make prostheses that deal better with the shifting contours of, for example, a face. Her team is developing techniques and finding new applications for existing ones. 3D models, for instance, can be printed to help surgeons prepare for surgery. A model of a damaged kidney can, for instance, show not only the area to be removed but also highlight nerves and blood vessels to help plan the operation. Most of the equipment within the centre is funded by donations to the Southmead Hospital Charity, the official charity of North Bristol NHS Trust. What counts as a successful outcome, Davey explained, depends on the patient. For some, it could be a facial prosthesis that helps them feel comfortable enough to answer the door. For others, it might be a 3D-printed splint that helps shape scar tissue, or the use of 3D scans taken over time to monitor their healing. 'It's not about making someone 'complete',' she said. 'It's about supporting their rehabilitation, whatever that looks like for them.' Richards is waiting for his latest prosthesis. A future version could be attached to his face using magnets, with metal studs embedded into the bone around his eye socket. 'You'd just put it on and it would click into place like a jigsaw piece,' he said. 'But I want to try one [attached using an adhesive] first, to see if I'm happy with it before I go putting studs into my head.' The real difference, though, may not be how it fits, but how it makes him feel. 'Children can be quite blunt,' he said. 'They'll come up and say, 'Mr, what's happened to your face? Where's your eye?' That doesn't bother me too much now, but maybe with a really good prosthesis, they wouldn't notice. 'In the early days I would avoid crowds completely. I had to really push myself to be more sociable. I'd have to tell myself: 'I'm going to go to my local yacht club and see how I get on,' and I'd monitor my progress. Having a prosthesis that makes me look a bit better certainly helps my confidence and my ability to mix. 'The new prosthesis won't solve all my issues. It won't undo the accident. But it might just give me a bit more confidence. And sometimes, that's what you need.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The stunning new Mounjaro and Ozempic side-effect that could benefit thousands of chronically ill people
They have already taken the weight-loss sector by storm – now the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro could do the same for lymphoedema, a lifelong, progressive swelling disorder that often follows cancer treatment. An estimated 500,000 people in the UK live with the condition, where arms or legs can swell to double their normal size, causing pain and limiting movement, due to a build-up of fluid in the body's tissues.
