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Reflecting on the Ockenden report today - sadly so many similarities to other inquiries. How do we change the system? How to we move it from "someone will read this and make some changes" to "collectively, together, we will make the change? These are my personal thoughts.... https://twitter.com/RCObsGyn/status/1337049504781045772
1. There is so little standardisation in the way maternity services are delivered, despite consistency in reporting and regulation. Many inquiries and reports reveal cultures - "this is how it's always been done around here".
If we were starting from scratch, what would good look like? Can we break down traditional barriers between professions / service users / lobby groups to unite and design an ideal maternity service? Would policy makers and politicians listen and create the resources?
2. We need to put kindness, empathy, and listening to women at the heart of all maternity services. Why does this get lost? Burnout, targets, focussing on the wrong things. Services that aren't designed around women's voices and their needs, and a fear of change?
3. We need a focus on psychological safety for maternity staff. Accountability without blame. Leaders that understand risk management and government and have the time to focus on staff wellbeing, multidisciplinary education, and addressing system errors.
4. We need the resources to make our jobs easier. The right number of staff to perform key leadership roles as well as the daily staffing of the units. Equipment that is fit for purpose. Trusts that listen to us when we ask for crucial kit - informatics, working PCs.
5. We need to focus on what we do well. Safety II Vs safety I. We get it right so many times. Let's celebrate this - and learn from our successes. The system is becoming overloaded with regulation and reporting of no proven benefit - we need to start asking what we can take away
We need this to be everyone's business - not just the local and national leaders, the report writers. We need to create the right culture throughout the whole system so that every person working in maternity care is committed to supporting safe positive birth every day.
