New independent service supports families affected by tragic experiences during maternity and neonatal care in Nottingham

People and families who suffer tragic experiences during pregnancy, birth or neonatal care in Nottingham are being offered a new, independent support service to ensure they are listened to and help them get the answers they need about what happened.

Manisha Sheth is the new Maternity and Neonatal Independent Senior Advocate (MNISA) for Nottingham, working for NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Manisha is one of just two MNISAs working in the Midlands, along with Melanie Mears of NHS Staffordshire and Stoke.

Manisha will support people and families to be listened to and heard by the maternity and neonatal care teams and find out more about what happened, attend meetings with them and support them through the investigation and complaints processes.

The MNISA service is available for women, birthing people and families who have been cared for by NUH maternity or neonatal care services and have experienced:

• A baby who died before they were born after 24 weeks of pregnancy (known as stillbirth)
• A baby who died within 28 days of being born.
• The baby’s mother died during pregnancy or following the birth
• The baby’s mother had an unexpected removal of their womb within 6 weeks of giving birth
• The baby’s mother had care in a critical care unit or an intensive care unit and this wasn’t planned
• A baby who has, or might have, a brain injury

The MNISA role was created from the implementation of one of the Immediate and Essential Actions from Donna Ockenden’s final report of the independent review of maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust.

MNISA roles are currently being piloted across 15 regions in England. It is a standalone role that works entirely independently from the Trusts that they provide their service to.

Donna Ockenden said: “MNISAs are in place to support you following a maternity or neonatal incident, particularly as an investigation process occurs. They have the independence and seniority to ensure family voices are heard and acted upon by the healthcare system.

“It has been promising to hear that this role has helped so many families already, and puts families at the heart of healthcare. As this role develops, using feedback from both families and service user providers we hope that we are able to provide much needed support and guidance to families when they need it most.”

Manisha Sheth has considerable experience of supporting and advocating for families during the perinatal period, as well as training staff on offering culturally safe maternity care. She is also a local infant loss bereavement counsellor and co-founded a local organisation focused on equitable perinatal care.

Manisha said: “Coping with the terrible trauma caused by the loss or injury of a baby or parent during maternity or neonatal care is one of the most difficult, distressing experiences that anyone could have to face.

“And to do this, whilst also trying to find out what happened, why and/or raise concerns about the care you’ve received and navigating often complex complaints procedures can be completely overwhelming.

“I’m here to ease that additional burden, to be with families throughout their journey, listening to what matters to them and helping their questions to be answered, so that they can get their voice heard by those who provided their care.”

Further information about Manisha and the MNISA service is available from the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire website.