NHS appoints new advocate for maternity families

Manisha Sheth has been appointed as a maternity and neonatal independent senior advocate

A new independent advocate for families affected by problems in maternity and neonatal care at Nottingham's hospitals is being introduced.

Manisha Sheth has been appointed as a maternity and neonatal independent senior advocate (MNISA), working for NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire as part of a national pilot scheme.

The Nottingham and Nottinghamshire integrated care board said Ms Sheth's role would be to ensure families "are listened to and help them get the answers they need about what happened".

Donna Ockenden, who is leading a separate independent review into Nottingham's maternity services after a series of failings and recommended the role following an inquiry in Shropshire, said the development was "promising".

Hundreds of babies have died or been injured while under the care of Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust, which runs maternity services at Nottingham City Hospital and Queen's Medical Centre.

The units are the focus of the largest inquiry of its kind in NHS history, with more than £100m paid out to families over failings that took place between 2006 and 2023.

Ms Sheth said her job - which is independent of the trust and the review - would be to support families treated at NUH who are dealing with "navigating often complex complaints" and procedures that "can be completely overwhelming".

“Coping with the terrible trauma caused by the loss or injury of a baby or parent during maternity or neonatal care is one of the most difficult, distressing experiences that anyone could have to face," she said.

'Support and guidance'

“I’m here to ease that additional burden, to be with families throughout their journey, listening to what matters to them and helping their questions to be answered, so that they can get their voice heard by those who provided their care.”

Ms Ockenden said the purpose of the position is to support families "particularly as an investigation process occurs".

“It has been promising to hear that this role has helped so many families already," she said.

"As this role develops, using feedback from both families and service user providers we hope that we are able to provide much needed support and guidance to families when they need it most.”

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