Released on: 07 October 2024
NCT today gave evidence to Module 3 of the Covid-19 Inquiry, as part of a coalition of 13 leading pregnancy, birth and early parenting charities, exposing the significant impact of the decisions made about the management and delivery of maternity and neonatal services during the pandemic, and the devastating impact this had on pregnant women, new parents, and their families.
The organisations (full list available below) are collectively acting as a Core Participant to the Inquiry, representing the voices of the hundreds of thousands of pregnant women and people, and new parents who experienced pregnancy and new parenthood, including neonatal admission, miscarriage, and baby loss, across the UK during the pandemic.
The charities will seek to highlight the experiences of these families, whose needs were consistently overlooked in critical healthcare decisions, and the impact this has had on them and their babies. Together, the charities are working to build a more resilient, empathetic, and parent-focussed maternity system in the future.
Speaking after the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, Angela McConville said:
“Between March 2020 and July 2021, nearly a million babies were born in England and Wales, with pregnant women and new parents enduring devastating challenges during the pandemic.
“The decisions made at the time stripped away essential support systems and failed to consider the specific needs and safety of women, new parents, and babies. And they exacerbated existing inequalities in maternity care, disproportionately impacting Black and Asian women, as well as those experiencing social and economic disadvantage.
“Birth partners were prevented from being present at the very moment they were most needed. Women often attended antenatal care without their partners or advocates and had to experience the devastation of miscarriage and news of baby loss alone and unsupported. Women gave birth alone, sometimes frightened and anxious, without the strength and comfort of their birth partners or advocates. In some cases, women were without the support, advocacy, language and social-cultural support they needed to safeguard their rights and their safety and wellbeing.
“The suspension of home birth support and the closure of midwife-led units took away women’s fundamental right to decide how and where they gave birth and forced them to give birth in hospital settings, where Covid patients were also being treated, potentially putting them and their babies at greater risk.
“The collapse of postnatal care left parents abandoned - no health visitors, no community practitioners, no baby groups, no lifeline. New parents were left isolated at home, cut off from vital in-person connection, community and key services.
“Throughout the pandemic, NCT joined forces with other leading charities and civic organisations to spotlight how pregnancy, maternity and early life with a baby was consistently missing in government policy and practice.
“The Covid-19 Inquiry offers a chance to finally listen to those whose voices were silenced, and whose experiences were hidden - it’s time for pregnant women and new parents to be heard and for their experiences to shape our future response.
“This is not just about reflecting on past failures; it's about building a future where women, parents, and babies are consistently prioritised, supported, and cared for at every stage of their journey."
ENDS
With thanks to our coalition of partners: Aching Arms, Bliss, Group B Strep Support, Miscarriage Association, Pelvic Partnership, Pregnancy Sickness Support, The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, The Lullaby Trust, Tommys, Twins Trust, Baby Lifeline and ICP Support, plus our legal team at Slater and Gordon.
