The Health and Social Care Committee will question Donna Ockenden, who led the Independent Review of maternity services at Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust, and Baroness Amos, who led the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation.
","secondaryDescription":"Between 2021-23, 254 women died in the UK due to direct and indirect causes of pregnancy and childbirth – a maternal morbidity rate of 12.7 per 100,00. Among black women the rate was 28.2 deaths per 100,000 maternities. Women in the 20% most deprived areas of the country are almost twice as likely to die during pregnancy and birth than women in the 20% most affluent areas.
\r\nBaroness Amos and her colleagues (details below) will be asked about her recommendations for the government to establish a Neonatal and Maternity Commissioner and a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce. She is also likely to be questioned on shortcomings of the Care Quality Commission and how the government should address racial disparities in maternity and neonatal care.
\r\nThe cross-party Committee will also ask Baroness Amos to address criticisms of her review – that it lacked new findings, didn’t give enough coverage to bereaved families, and that her report did not sufficiently address concerns about ‘normal birth ideology’.
\r\nIn part two of this hearing, Donna Ockenden will be asked for her thoughts on similar themes, as well as the state of the midwifery workforce and its recruitment, training and retention.
\r\nOckenden is also likely to be asked how senior clinicians and hospital leaders could be held to account for failings, and for her views on NHS England Chief Executive Sir Jim Mackey’s recently published 10-point 'urgent maternity plan'.
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