Released on: 27 August 2024
NCT provided the following response ahead of the above article being published:
Angela McConville, NCT Chief Executive, said:
"I want to start by acknowledging the bereaved and traumatised parents at the centre of this story, who deserve immense compassion and empathy. Every parent has a fundamental right to a safe and supported birth.
For almost 70 years, NCT has advocated for pregnant women and new parents, listened to them, campaigned for their maternity rights, and strived to provide the most current, evidenced-based information available.
We know this work is now more important than ever, but we acknowledge that some of NCT’s historical policy positions do not align with the needs of new parents today, and do not reflect the current context in which parents are giving birth. We believe there is no such thing as a normal birth and today our charity’s vision, mission, and strategy strongly reflects that.
Our mission is to support everyone who becomes a parent, regardless of their circumstances or the birth and feeding decisions they make. We strongly believe every birth is unique, and every parent has the right to make informed decisions that are best for them.
We are preparing parents to enter a broken NHS maternity system in which they have an unacceptably high likelihood of negative or traumatic experiences, coupled with little or no postnatal support.
The UK maternity system is dangerously underfunded and understaffed, and in late 2023 the Care Quality Commission deemed almost half of all maternity units as inadequate or in need of improvement. This is a national crisis and warrants national outrage.
Over the last four years, we have been working to transform and modernise our charity to respond to this crisis in the UK’s maternity system, and to equip parents with comprehensive, accurate, and impartial education, content, and services. Of course, there is still more for us do.
I urge anyone who has had a poor experience with NCT, regardless of how much time has passed, to contact us. We always act immediately, and with compassion, to meet with parents so we can listen, learn, and take action."
You can call our Enquiries line on 0300 330 0700 (option 3 for general enquiries) or email enquiries@nct.org.uk.
