Leigh Day medical negligence partner calls for stronger accountability to improve maternity safety at MJA Symposium

Leigh Day sponsored the event titled The State of Maternity: Safety, Inequality and Culture, which brought together clinicians, researchers, policymakers and journalists at The King’s Fund in London to discuss the future of maternity services in the UK. 

Theo Clarke, Shaun Lintern, Kim Thomas, Sanja Strkljevic (left to right)

The event took place ahead of the publication of major investigations including the Ockenden Maternity Review into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation led by Baroness Valerie Amos.

Sanja, who specialises in obstetrics and gynaecology and issues affecting women's health, spoke on “whistleblowing, duty of candour and eradicating the culture of fear” during a session examining workforce pressures, culture and innovation, before later joining a panel discussion on supporting families fighting for justice by sharing their stories.

In the symposium’s keynote address, Michelle Welsh MP, Labour MP for Sherwood Forest and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Maternity, said that healthcare should be built on safety, compassion and excellence, adding that “systems will often protect themselves before the people they serve".

She called for the appointment of a national maternity commissioner, mandatory national reporting under a single framework, and for data to trigger immediate action. She also advocated for a culture where speaking up is respected, safer staffing, continuity of care and a “birth debrief” for every woman, saying that “good accountability protects good staff”.

Drawing on her experience representing families affected by avoidable harm, Sanja told delegates that “what is at the heart of all of this is patient safety.” 

Speaking about whistleblowing protections, she said the Public Interest Disclosure Act (PIDA) 1998 provides a “wide ranging” legal framework, while the Employment Rights Act 1996 protects employees who raise concerns. However, she questioned whether the legislation was being used effectively in practice.

Addressing the statutory duty of candour, Sanja said “the framework is there but we see repeated failures”.

Referring to the many national maternity reviews and investigations over recent years, she said “I fear that all of these reveal the same trends. Failures arise from a failure to act on what is known”.

Sanja called for stronger accountability and more robust enforcement of the duty of candour, stressing that maternity services care for “the most vulnerable in society”.

During the afternoon panel discussion, Sanja joined fellow speakers to discuss the importance of supporting families seeking answers following avoidable harm, and the role that sharing their experiences can play in driving improvements in patient safety and accountability across maternity services.

Commenting after the event, Sanja Strkljevic said:

“Patient safety has to remain at the centre of every discussion about improving maternity care. We have legal protections for whistleblowers and a statutory duty of candour, but too often we continue to see the same failings repeated.

“First and foremost, patients deserve safe care, but when things do go wrong, families deserve honesty, accountability and a healthcare culture where professionals feel empowered to speak up without fear. Listening to those affected by avoidable harm and acting on the lessons identified time and again is essential if we are to prevent future tragedies.”