First joint engagement for the Duchess and the Princess in wake of damning review of care for mothers and babies
THE Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Royal will this week embark on a mission to protect Britain’s mothers and babies, as they team up for their first joint engagement.
The Duchess and the Princess, who both have patronages relating to maternity care, will meet new mothers and the medics who care for them to hear how they and their babies are kept safe.
The visit, to take place on Wednesday, comes in the wake of a damning review into maternity care at one hospital trust, which found serious failings contributing to the deaths of more than 200 babies and nine mothers.
The Ockenden review found the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust “failed to investigate, failed to learn and failed to improve, and therefore often failed to safeguard mothers and their babies at one of the most important times in their lives”.
The report led to a nationwide conversation about maternity care, with parents sharing harrowing experiences of childbirth and stretched services.
Princess Anne is patron of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) while the Duchess of Cambridge is patron of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG).
Although they have attended numerous family events together, it is the first time the pair have worked on a dual project on an issue they care about.
It is understood the visit has been in the diary for “a while” and was not planned specifically in response to the findings by senior midwife Donna Ockenden. The visit will see them meet women’s healthcare organisations in a London “hub” designed to “improve and advocate” for their welfare.
“Their Royal Highnesses will hear about the ways in which the RCM and the RCOG are working together to improve maternal health care, ensuring women are receiving the safest and best care possible at one of the most significant times in their lives,” a spokesman said.
The Duchess and Princess will meet new mothers and experts to hear about new measures to tackle inequalities in maternity care, as well as how specialists are working to train local services in “essential gynaecological skills” worldwide.
In particular, they will hear about the monitoring of babies during labour and a national approach to avoiding brain injury.
In 2019, ahead of International Year of the Midwife, Princess Anne wrote to RCM to tell them how she had been “deeply impressed by your level of care, dedication and commitment delivering your work on behalf of women, babies and their families”.
Saying she had “profound admiration” for the “incredible and important work that you do”, she added it was apparent on her visits to maternity units where she had seen “joy on the faces of mothers and their partners and their gratitude for the support you give them”.
She has been the organisation’s patron for more than 20 years.
The Duchess of Cambridge became patron of RCOG in 2018 and has recently paid visits to maternity hospitals as part of her work in early years development.
The engagement will be seen as a sign of the Royal Family increasingly working together on causes they care about, with the Duchess also recently supporting the Prince of Wales’s traditional craft projects.
‘Their Royal Highnesses will hear about the ways in which the RCM and the RCOG work together’