I am looking to refer myself or someone close to me

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:

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

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.

This is a new pilot role which has been developed with women/birthing people and families and NHS England. Often referred to as the MNISA, the role aims to provide guidance and support to families affected by a significant health complication or bereavement following an episode of maternity or neonatal care.

The Maternity and Neonatal Independent Senior Advocate for the Mid and South Essex area 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 you to obtain the information that you need to understand more about what happened to you/your baby
attend meetings with professionals/inquests with you (or liaise with professionals on your behalf if you don’t feel able to do so yourself)
help you to share your worries, concerns and feedback with professionals and hospital 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.

During the pilot project, Sarah can help if you or your baby received maternity/neonatal care in Mid and South Essex and:-

your baby was stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy, or died within 28 days
your baby was diagnosed with (or suspected to have) a brain injury
you required a hysterectomy (removal of the womb) during or within 6 weeks of childbirth.
you needed to be cared for in high dependency/intensive care during your pregnancy/childbirth
the baby’s mother died following pregnancy/childbirth

If you are unsure, please do get in touch: [email protected]

We recognise that you or your family may have been affected by something that is very important to you but may not be included in the pilot project criteria. Whilst Sarah would not be able to support you on an ongoing basis, she can still help to put you in touch with organisations that can offer you the help and support you need. If you are unsure, please do get in touch: [email protected]

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

We understand that you may be worried about asking questions/raising concerns about your care. Sarah does not live and has not worked locally. She is employed by the ICB, to keep her independent from the hospitals that may have provided maternity or neonatal care to you or your family. Sarah will keep your information safe and will not share it with anyone without asking your permission first.

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

Referral form for individual service users