Responding to the Ockenden Review: Safe care for all needs evidence-based system change - and strengthened midwifery

Where the Ockenden report goes wrong: Let us keep calm and follow the evidence

“…As others have pointed out, investing in the maternity care workforce is the most important recommendation of the Ockenden report. 1 Simply increasing the caesarean section rate and abandoning continuity of care initiatives will not improve maternal and newborn care in the United Kingdom. If implemented, these policies will lead to resources being spent on medical interventions and the treatment of adverse outcomes, like preterm birth, that will inevitably follow.…”

“…As others have pointed out, investing in the maternity care workforce is the most important recommendation of the Ockenden report 1 . Simply increasing the caesarean section rate and abandoning continuity of care initiatives will not improve maternal and newborn care in the United Kingdom.…”

“…The Ockenden report is a shocking read 1 . Families were let down by maternity services resulting in avoidable deaths of women and babies.…”

“…The Ockenden report is a shocking read. 1 Families were let down by maternity services resulting in avoidable deaths of women and babies. These tragic events cannot be reversed, but if we are to prevent them from happening again, we must have a clear picture of what went wrong.…”

Research skills in practice

“…It cannot be assumed that students and newly qualified midwives learn within services where evidence-based practice is modelled. Even when reviewing the implementation of measures designed to avoid a repetition of these maternity care failings, a critical eye must be maintained, with maternity professionals adopting a thoughtful and considered view of the evidence underpinning proposed practice changes (Renfrew et al, 2022).…”