I am a professional looking to refer a person or couple on their behalf

Mid and South Essex ICB is hosting a Maternity and Neonatal Independent Senior Advocate (MNISA) as part of a new NHS England pilot project. The MNISA role aims to provide independent guidance and support to women and families affected by an adverse outcome following an episode of maternity or neonatal care, and to use this feedback to bring about system change and improvement.

Anyone who has experienced any of the following adverse outcomes during their care in mid and south Essex can seek support from the MNISA, whether this is something that happened recently or some time ago:

their baby died after 24 weeks of pregnancy up to 28 days after birth,
their baby was diagnosed with (or suspected to have) a brain injury,
the baby’s mother/birthing parent died,
they had a hysterectomy (removal of the womb) during childbirth or within six weeks,
they were admitted to critical/intensive care

The MNISA for Mid and South Essex ICB is Sarah. Sarah is a registered midwife, who has been working in maternity and neonatal services since 1999, in a different part of the country. She has extensive clinical experience, and a sound understanding of the pathways that NHS services follow when there is an unexpected outcome and people are harmed. Sarah has experience of working alongside senior healthcare leaders, and is committed to making sure that services listen to families and really learn from their insights.

Sarah is here to listen and to help you to navigate some of the complex investigation processes which take place when an unexpected adverse outcome or a death has occurred. She can also;

help families to obtain the information that they need to understand more about what happened to them or to their baby
attend meetings with professionals/inquests with them (or liaise with professionals on their behalf if they don’t feel able to do so themselves)
help families to convey their worries, concerns and feedback to professionals and Trust/ICB boards, so that the impact of these can be properly acknowledged, and so they can help to make changes that prevent harm for other women/birthing people, babies and families in the future.

We recognise that families may be affected by other things that are equally important that may not be included in the pilot project criteria. Whilst Sarah would not be able to support them on an ongoing basis, she can signpost families to organisations that can offer help and support. If you are unsure, please do get in touch: [email protected]

The local Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership are also able to help families to share feedback related to any aspect of maternity or neonatal care. You can find out more at Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership: Mid & South Essex Maternity & Neonatal Voices Partnership (padlet.com)

We understand that families may be worried about asking questions/raising concerns about their care. Sarah is not employed by the hospital trust and has not worked or lived locally. Her employment is hosted by the ICB, to keep her independent from the organisations that may have provided maternity or neonatal care to the family.

Please fill in the form below and Sarah will be in touch as soon as possible.

Referral form for healthcare professionals