Lucy Allan's work on maternity deaths and injuries at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust

Lucy has campaigned for better maternity care nationally following the maternity scandal at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, where malpractice led to tragic injuries, deaths of babies and mothers, as well as birth trauma for many hundreds of women.

Since getting elected in 2015, Lucy has helped constituents affected to access medical negligence solicitors, to raise cases with hospital management and Ministers, and ensuring the families engaged with the Ockenden Review.

Lucy Allan said:  "I first became aware of two families who had suffered an avoidable neonatal deaths shortly after I was elected as the MP for Telford in 2015. I I challenged the Trust management and was reassured these were one off cases. The issue was never on the agenda at any of the regular meetings of Shropshire MPs and Trust management. As more cases came to light, I was told it was an "historic issue" going back 40 years and that the media was trying make it into something it wasn't. Over time it became clear that there was a culture of denial, of institutional blindness, where women were not heard and failings were not acknowledged. There was an expectation that the County's MPs would support the Trust rather than the women struggling to be heard."

"Many women would not have come forward but for the extraordinary campaigning of a small number of brave families, who worked tirelessly on this. They can be so proud of what they achieved for others. I pay tribute to them and all the women who have taken part in the review. I hope they feel some small comfort from the work of Donna Ockenden.“ 

Lucy campaigned for the Trust to be placed in special measures and for the removal of the Trust CEO who had complained the media were "scaremongering" about the scale of the problem. Both of these objectives were achieved. Lucy worked with the then Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to secure an inquiry and has welcomed the work of the Ockenden Review. She continues to put pressure on Ministers, whilst encouraging Government to make maternity care a national priority.

Former Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt who commissioned the Ockenden  review said: “I thank Lucy Allan for her tireless campaigning on this issue. It’s not easy to publicly criticise a local hospital trust and for an honourable member to do that, as in this case, shows enormous courage.” 

Over 1,800 families were affected right across Shropshire, which covers 5 Parliamentary Constituencies. Families suffered avoidable neonatal death or injury and maternal deaths.

You can read more about Lucy's work on the maternity scandal at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust:


In Hansard:

Articles on this website:

Articles on Lucy’s Facebook page:

In the Media:

 

 

You may also be interested in

My work for Telford

Lucy Allan has worked on many local and national campaigns as Telford's MP.  Details of her work in Parliament on these issues is set out in the attached record of her activities.