The trial and verdict of Lucy Letby is devastating for all concerned, particularly the families and friends of the victims. Our thoughts are with everyone affected.

Twins Trust’s bereavement service is available for anyone who has gone through the loss of one of more twins or higher order multiples, during or after pregnancy. Our Twinline service and online communities are available for anyone impacted by the Lucy Letby case.

We’re reminded once again of the need for maternity services to comply with the NICE guidelines, particularly when dealing with multiples. The NICE quality standards are there to prevent maternity failures by having a joined-up care package for all pregnancies - particularly multiple pregnancies - and we strongly urge all maternity units to ensure that they are adhering to them.

We’ve seen preventable failures within maternity units year after year, resulting in devastating outcomes, including loss of life. That’s why our message today is stark: we’re here to help maternity units eradicate the kind of high-profile failures that we keep on seeing. Our work with maternity units has shown that this is possible. Change can be achieved – and it needs to start today.