Bereaved mother urging parents to 'use their voice' in maternity investigation
Rhiannon Davies found out her daughter Kate died an avoidable death at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
A bereaved mother is calling for parents to speak up as part of a national investigation into maternity services, after her baby died an avoidable death at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.
Today (20th Jan), the government is calling for more evidence from families to support their investigation and help them reform maternity services.
What is the 'Call for Evidence'?
The Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation is looking at services at a number of NHS Trusts in England, with it's main focus being to reform the way care is given.
Baroness Amos is chairing the investigation, and has made the 'Call for Evidence' consist of two surveys: one for women and people who have been pregnant and one for people who have supported someone through pregnancy.
It is open until March 17th 2026 and can be accessed here.
Rhiannon's story:
Rhiannon Davies and Richard Stanton lost their daughter Kate Stanton-Davies at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust in 2009.
A report revealed their daughter's death could have been avoided.
Since then, they have been campaigning for a review into all maternity services, so that what happened to them does not happen to anyone else.
Following today's news, Rhiannon told us: "Every voice matters and every experience matters. Please bring your voice, even if you think it will only make a small difference.
"I feel really emotional and positive about this after having struggled to have my voice heard for so long. It is an absolute gift that anyone can bring their voice. It is going to be valuable.
"Wider families can bring learning too so that there is a real breadth of information to help inform these changes that need to happen," she said.
Why is there a 'Call for Evidence'?
Baroness Amos said: “In my December ‘Reflections’ report I said that nothing had prepared me for the scale of unacceptable care that women and families have received and continue to receive, the tragic consequences for their babies, and the impact on their mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.
“I am grateful to all the families who have engaged with me so far, recognising just how difficult it can be for those who have been bereaved or harmed to relive those traumatic experiences.
“In this Call for Evidence, I would like to hear from women and families from across England about their experiences of maternity and neonatal services.
'Identify solutions'
"The insights provided by women and families will assist me to identify solutions to the systemic challenges I described in December. I recognise that people may have different levels of comfort in sharing their experiences, and that some may choose to share only parts of that experience.
“I encourage women from a wide range of backgrounds to share their experiences, as this will allow me to better understand and address the inequalities which persist in the system. I also want to hear about where compassionate and safe care has been delivered to try and ensure that it can be delivered for all.
“My thanks, in advance, to everyone who takes the time to respond to the call for evidence including fathers, partners, family members and non-birthing partners who have supported someone using maternity or neonatal services."
In a previous statement, Jo Williams, Chief Executive for The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: “We are truly sorry for the harm caused to those families who rightfully expected a safe experience under our care, and who were let down by us.
“We know how important it is for the families and our communities to receive the answers they have waited for.
“We are committed to providing a responsive maternity service for our communities and our staff that is open, kind, constantly learning and consistently improving.”