An open letter to parents and families this Baby Loss Awareness Week

To mums, dads and families,

The 9 – 15 October each year marks Baby Loss Awareness Week (BLAW). We know from speaking to the parents and families who are part of our work that it is a week filled with mixed emotions; sadness that such a week must exist, and grief that can feel overwhelming.

But if I have learnt anything through my work at the Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigation (MNSI) programme it is that we must listen to families’ experiences and allow their voice to be heard. We must remember that this week exists to raise awareness and to shine a light on the voices of those for whom this is a daily reality.

The Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigation programme was established in 2018 with the single ambition to improve maternity care across the NHS in England. When I think about that responsibility, I remember all the families who have worked with us and who have supported us in that ambition. Each of the families who have worked through one of our safety investigations has profoundly impacted us, our work, and the way maternity services in England work and run. Without the courage of these families, we wouldn’t be able to share important, powerful and ultimately potentially life-saving safety recommendations that could prevent another family from going through what they have experienced.

I am very proud to share that recent feedback from the parents and families we work with show that every family who provided feedback about the MNSI programme between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 either strongly agreed or agreed that they had been suitably engaged throughout the investigation, and were satisfied with both the investigation and the report. This to me shows the powerful importance of what we do and the comfort it can provide to families while also allowing our maternity system to improve and provide safer care in the future.

Before I sign off I would like to thank each family who has worked with us since 2018. As a collective I know each member of the MNSI team will be keeping these families and their babies in their thoughts this week.

As a maternity system I would like us to use Baby Loss Awareness Week to reflect on our practice, consider how we can continue on our journey of improvement and how we can each play a role in supporting families through baby loss. Together we can reduce baby loss.

Sandy Lewis

MNSI programme director