Why have Rhiannon Davies, Richard Stanton, Kayleigh Griffiths, and Colin Griffiths been awarded an MBE?

A 4-minute read [warning: contains details some might find distressing]

On Saint David’s Day in 2009, at just after 10am and a 30-hour labour, my husband Richard and I welcomed Kate into the world - our firstborn child.?Kate had blue eyes and a stunning shock of dark brown hair.?When she was placed in my arms, a shaft of sunlight fell on her, and love flooded my heart.?I had never been so certain of anything in my life.?Kate was my life.?I loved her absolutely.

Just six hours later Kate was dead.?

Her suffering was excruciating.

Her death was avoidable.?

It was covered up by those who contributed it.?

I wasn’t with her when she died because of the actions of others.

Multiple people caused my daughter’s death and the utter and absolute devastation of my life…and yet no one was held accountable, no one apologised, no changes were made to prevent the catalogue of errors that caused the foregoing tragedy from being repeated.

And so began the fight of my life.?Together with Richard, we battled every conceivable organisation to uncover the truth – the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust of course, but the HSE, CQC, NMC, GMC, HTA, RCOG, NHSLA, West Midlands Ambulance Service, Ombudsmen, coroners, MPs even the CPS – until finally we pieced the truth together bit by devastating bit.?

We gifted our findings to the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust and West Midlands Ambulance Service for the prevention of harm to others.?It was Kate’s legacy.?It meant her short life held meaning for us.

Professor Anthony Marsh at West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (WMAS) listened and has continued to listen.?He overhauled teams and practices.?He continues to embed and advance learning in Kate’s name and has repeatedly promised his organisation will never forget my baby.?Richard and I are indebted to him and his colleagues for repairing some of the harm we encountered.

But the hospital trust – referring to Kate as ‘it’ – advised us they had nothing to learn.?

So very reluctantly we had to fight on.?The toll it takes is indescribable.?A compounding of harm as you’re forced to relive and retell the most agonising moments of your life in a bid to get someone to listen to prevent future deaths.?

We did this whilst working - because bills don’t stop coming just because your baby is dead, and your heart is broken.?

We did this whilst ensuring we held on to a safe and happy home – because Kate now has a sister called Isabella who deserves the best life.?

We did this despite being harassed and having to move town because someone didn’t like us trying to create meaningful change from our tragedy.

Finally, in 2016, the hospital trust capitulated and promised to embed change. ?But less than one month later, a beautiful newborn baby called Pippa died an avoidable death at the trust.?There were too many parallels in terms of her treatment and that of her mother Kayleigh Griffiths MBE to Kate’s treatment and mine for us to accept any changes had been made.

Pippa’s mother Kayleigh and I were convinced ours weren’t the only two families to have been so similarly affected - and so in our evenings and over weekends we began to work together to research the hospital trust’s maternity outcomes.?

We became the best of friends because of the worst of shared circumstances - and together with her husband Colin, and my husband Richard, we tenaciously lobbied then health secretary Jeremy Hunt MP for an independent investigation into the cases of avoidable harm and deaths of mothers and babies that we had uncovered.?

The review commenced in 2017 - and in 2022, the devastating yet hugely impactful results of that investigation were finally published by expert midwife Donna Ockenden … with the following acknowledgement:

The work contained in this final report and the first report of the Independent Review of Maternity Services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, came about from the exceptional efforts of parents Rhiannon Davies, Richard Stanton, and Kayleigh and Colin Griffiths, who daughters died as a result of the care they received at the Trust. The deaths of Rhiannon and Richard’s daughter Kate in 2009, and Kayleigh and Colin’s daughter Pippa in 2016 were both avoidable. Owing to their unshakeable commitment to ensure the precious lives of their babies were not lost in vain, this review has implementation of meaningful change, not only in maternity services at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust – but also across England. As we publish this final report, we want to acknowledge and pay tribute to Rhiannon, Richard, Kayleigh and Colin.

Truths have been unearthed from the lies that have been uncovered.?

Required changes have been scoped and funding has been raised.?

And ultimately lives have been saved because we refused to give up.

Thank you to those who nominated us and supported our nominations for an honour.?Thank you to those who have supported us down the years.?And thank you to those who continue to care for us as we still wade through the devastation and trauma to one day reach a place of greater peace.

I will continue to live by this: “be the change that you wish to see in the world” - and speak out often to advance the patient safety agenda.

#ThankYou #Gratitude #BirthdayHonours #MaternitySafety #PatientSafety