To those who signed the petition and opted for updates, sincere apologies for the delay in publishing recent news. I can only speak from my own experience and say sometimes I can do the doing AND do more - and sometimes I can’t. The last couple of weeks or so have been a hard slog and doing the doing has been all I can do…no capacity for more.
Kay, Rich, Col and I had a huge uptick in positive respondents to the petition, which piqued local media interest and gave us such strength. From 10,000 to 25,000 people who cared - in less than a week. Then perhaps the algorithm changed, or perhaps the updates we published were too many or too few? I asked Change.org and they can’t say. (Any ideas welcome.) So, support seems to have stalled. This is a small setback. No more. We don’t quit!
Then, someone who thought we were alleging our daughters were worth more than their daughter tracked me down and launched an attack in their tragic grief. Easy to understand : hard to bear.
But more than enough about me and us – and on to this…from radio silence to some absolute nonsense and a shock to boot.
The CQC’s Chief Exec Ian Trenholm responded, again. This line from his letter was quite telling, what do you think?
“…we are currently implementing a new way of operating. This new approach aims to address any inconsistencies and ensure our regulatory oversight is as strong as it can be. It will allow us to change ratings more efficiently and consistently than in the past.”
To us, it suggests an acceptance that the current inconsistent model is not fit for purpose. Why then does he not take on board our robust recommendations for change?
Well, perhaps he will.
He again asked us to meet him.
Having said we’d only do so if he supported the requirement for a nationwide inquiry, (which he hasn’t), we could hold out and be resolute. But there is far more at stake than us trying to hold out for any respect from ‘the system’ – meh. So, we have decided it would be facetious if we refused and possibly detrimental to the opportunity to advance change.
We will be writing to Mr. Trenholm to make arrangements.
Meanwhile, the most recently published CQC report into maternity (for North Middlesex University maternity this time) identified many, many shocking failings. One was so appalling it’s hard to comprehend the consequences for the affected family and staff.
“Staff told us of an incident where the cooling fridge in the bereavement suite had not had daily checks for several days which resulted in the deterioration of foetal remains.”
Let’s pivot to an update from Niall Clegg from the Department of Health in Northern Ireland. He has written to tell us that everything across the water is entirely brilliant and therefore there is no reason for us to question anything. Hooray for Northern Ireland’s perfect maternity services.
In actuality, his letter is so shockingly complacent and full of false assurances I wouldn’t print it to use for the plucking of grass out of my dog’s bum. Take this line:
“You will appreciate that responsibility for health and social care in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and a UK-wide independent inquiry would therefore not be the most appropriate way in which to consider the issues you have raised in respect of services provided in Northern Ireland.”
Why not?
The fundamental, unequivocal, irrefutable issues that are undermining maternity and early years’ service provision in Northern Ireland, resulting in avoidable life-long harm and death of babies and young children are exactly the same as those undermining maternity and early years’ service provision in Wales, Scotland and England. Devolution is not about cutting your nose off to spite your face. Where is the ambition for a strong, durable Union that will deliver the best outcomes for the people of all four nations?
As stated, the precedent to work together to understand barriers to solutions and then create change exists in healthcare already. Why on earth wouldn’t you open your arms to the opportunity to learn and create a step change – together – for all of Britain’s families?
But Niall says:
“The Department has established a Maternity and Neonatal Oversight Group to receive assurance on the safety of maternity and neonatal services for the population of Northern Ireland.”
This should send such a shiver through every one of us. It is a line you will read in every single board paper in every single hospital in the UK where there are issues in maternity. “To receive assurance…” NO ONE should be seeking to receive assurance. We should all be seeking the truth and the evidence behind the truth. And only when we have proven the truth and tested the evidence can we have any form of assurance.
Hospital boards up and down the country (all four of them) are full of nodding NEDs (non-executive directors) who ‘receive assurance.’ And THAT is why healthcare fails. There is no consistent, professional, challenging scrutiny. Not from within at board level. And not from without from the inspectorates whose models are so inconsistent they are not fit for purpose.
The only issue is, you don’t care until you care. And then it is absolutely too late.
The concept of a dead baby did not exist in my consciousness or Richard’s until St. David’s Day 2009. And now we can never not care. The concept of a dead baby did not exist in Kayleigh or Colin’s consciousness until 31 hours after Pippa was born in 2016. And now they can never not care.
Our babies are not worth more or less than anyone else’s. And the babies in England or Northern Ireland are not worth more or less than those in Wales or Scotland.
A UK-wide, publicly scrutinised, expert led inquiry is part one of what has to happen. Part two is using the learning to create a future proofed plan for the next decade and beyond, aligning with early years health and social care services - to create a step change in terms of childhood survival rates and childhoods that thrive.