Birthrights: “We need to demystify the complaints process in maternity care”

On 16 November, Birthrights – advocating for human rights in pregnancy and childbirth – released Speak Up, Speak Out: a new film to demystify the complaints process in maternity care. The film features the real-life stories of three women, whose birth experiences led them to considering or making a complaint about their care. You can read the original post here.

At Make Birth Better, we see and hear every day about the importance of the message in this video, which is why we are sharing on our own platform too.

Amy Gibbs, Chief Executive of Birthrights:
”We understand the current pressures on midwives as the long-standing staffing crisis worsens and COVID-19 cases rise, and we have been raising concerns with the Government through the NHS England stakeholder council and supporting RCM’s calls for urgent investment. As we said in a letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care today, we are calling for the Government to agree to the Health and Social Care Committee’s calls to increase the budget for maternity services by a minimum of £200 – £350 million per year in order to ensure adequate and sustainable staffing levels. 

However, the right to be cared for with dignity and respect always stands, and maternity services and Trusts need feedback to make the case for more staff and greater investment in services. 

We hope Speak Up, Speak Out will encourage women and birthing people to speak up and speak out about their birth experiences to maternity services and Trusts. They are helping future pregnant women and birthing people by doing so.”