MNSI Response to HSSIB’s Review of Maternity and Neonatal Services

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) has published their review of maternity and neonatal services. It offers critical insights to inform the national investigation announced by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in June 2025.

We welcome this important review, particularly the themes drawn from diverse data sources.

HSSIB’s findings reinforce the importance of recognising health inequalities in maternity and neonatal care. It highlights that people from affected groups often face lower levels of advocacy within the NHS. From our own investigations, we know that health inequalities persist in maternity and neonatal care, despite the dedication of staff working to provide safe and compassionate services for all mothers, birthing people and babies. We remain committed to addressing these disparities through the continued use of our Health Equity Assessment and Resource Toolkit (HEART) and Health Equity Warning Score (HEWS), which help to identify and analyse health and social inequalities in our investigations.

The review also highlights the importance of respectful engagement in understanding safety events. Working closely with families and staff to recognise their experiences, while ensuring we do not compound harm, is integral to our investigative approach. This principle informs every aspect of our work, ensuring that our safety recommendations are evidence-based, trauma-informed, and free from blame.

We are continually improving how we gather feedback from families and staff following investigations, to ensure their opinions shape and strengthen our work.

Read HSSIB’s review here: https://www.hssib.org.uk/patient-safety-investigations/an-exploratory-review-of-maternity-and-neonatal-services/#themes-arising-from-stakeholder-interviews

Read more about HEART and HEWS here: https://lnkd.in/eBTFks9a