Dear MP’s name,
I am writing to you to ask you to support the campaign for a statutory national public inquiry on maternity safety, launched by the Maternity Safety Alliance on 31st October 2023. 
Our babies are too precious to keep on ignoring the reality that despite a raft of national initiatives and policies implemented in the wake of investigations and reports, systemic issues continue to adversely impact on the care of women and babies. Far too much avoidable harm continues to devastate lives in circumstances that could and should be avoided.  Fundamental reform is needed. 

Maternity care in England is broken. Every year, hundreds of babies die when with better care they would survive, and thousands of mums are left traumatised and physically injured. Reviews and investigations have found dangerous and unsafe care around the country, but despite promises that ‘lessons will be learned’ instead the same failings have continued.
Indeed, the latest statistics show that the situation is getting worse:
•	More healthy, full terms babies are dying and hundreds of babies continue to suffer life changing and often life limiting brain injuries because of failures in care. 
•	The stillbirth and neonatal death rates have increased.
•	More mums are dying than a few years ago, with proportionally more mothers dying here than in Italy, France and Norway. 
•	30,000 women suffer birth trauma, a kind of PTSD, every year. 
•	Unknown, because they are uncounted, numbers of women suffer life changing birth injuries because of unsafe care. 
•	The CQC now rates 65% of maternity units ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’ for safety. 
•	In 2022/23 £2.6 billion was paid out in compensation for women and babies harmed by negligent NHS care. 
It’s time to recognise that efforts so far, whilst well intentioned and supported by many, have not been enough. And to add insult to injury, some clinicians and NHS leaders continue to work against the changes we know are needed to save lives, putting their ‘normal birth’ ideology or organisational reputations above doing the right thing. 
A whole system analysis through a national public inquiry is the only way we can truly understand what has gone wrong, why it keeps on going wrong, and most importantly find a way to fix the system and make sure every mum and baby receives the safe and compassionate care they deserve.
I am supporting the campaign for a national public inquiry because………
I am asking you to support the campaign for a national public inquiry by the Maternity Safety Alliance. Find more information here: www.maternitysafetyalliance.co.uk 
Yours Sincerely,
Your name
Your address