Call for Evidence: Midpoint update
Baroness Amos, Chair of the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation
I would like to thank the thousands of people who have shared their experiences with the Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation. I have met and spoken with hundreds of bereaved and harmed families across the country and will be sharing some of the emerging themes from those meetings in my February report, which will be published shortly.
We are now at the halfway point in our Call for Evidence, with four weeks left for women, families, fathers and non-birthing partners to share their experiences with us. More than 6,000 responses have been submitted across our surveys so far, and I am very grateful for each one. I am acutely aware that recounting experiences of harm and bereavement is traumatic and emotionally draining.
The experiences families have so courageously shared by completing our Call for Evidence surveys will provide invaluable insight to both me and my team.
While the volume of responses to the Call for Evidence has been significant, I know that there are a lot of people we have not heard from yet. I would like to hear from all of you, including Black and Asian women and women from marginalised communities. Your experiences will help us to better understand how to improve care for families going forward.
I also want to hear from fathers, non-birthing partners and other support people. Your perspectives are vitally important in helping me and my team to gain a thorough understanding of what is happening in maternity and neonatal care.
If you, or somebody you know, does not speak English as their first language, the Call for Evidence surveys have been translated into 7 additional languages: Arabic, Bengali, Gujarati, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian, and Urdu. We can also offer support for those who wish to share their experiences in other languages via a 1:1 interview with an interpreter.
I would also like to extend my thanks to the many organisations that have helped to share the Call for Evidence.
The Call for Evidence remains open until 17th March. There is still plenty of time to share your views and experiences. I urge you to please do so. Details on how to participate can be found here: Call for Evidence