19 October 2022

The report of the Independent Investigation into East Kent Maternity Services has been published today.

The investigation was launched after concerns were raised about the death of a number of babies. Dr Bill Kirkup led the investigation into services provided by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.

The full report can be read here.

Shauna Leven, Chief Executive Officer of Twins Trust, said: "We are deeply saddened by this report. It’s the latest in a long line of failures of maternity services and it’s imperative that the government puts significant energy and resource towards making sure that this never happens again. All parents deserve to have the best care from their maternity provider; it’s clear that this hasn’t happened in certain hospitals, including in Kent.

"It’s quite clear that the impact for both multiples and all other families is the result of failures to ensure that women receive the right level of care in line with national guidance. We are still seeing significant inequality in care across the country. There have been numerous reports – including the Independent Maternity Review led by Donna Ockenden – calling for significant changes to improve care and outcomes. Now it’s time for the government to step up to ensure that there are no more needless deaths in our maternity services.  

"Twins Trust is here to help hospitals to improve their antenatal care for pregnant women with twins, triplets and more - as well as supporting the families before and after the birth. We also aim to improve bereavement care within maternity services where twins, triplets or more are impacted.” 

"Our Bereavement Service is available for any families of multiples affected by the report."