'I will read your birth trauma dossier' - Banbury maternity campaigner gets pledge from Health Secretary

Mr Streeting said he had not yet seen the birth trauma dossier prepared by Mrs Hopper and Keep the Horton General Campaign Group (KTHG) and sent to him in June, but he would find it and read it.

Mrs Hopper spoke to Mr Streeting live on the Jeremy Vine Show on Radio 2 yesterday (Monday).

On the show she asked Mr Streeting what the Labour government’s plans are to address the problem of birth trauma – and what was being done long-term to improve maternity care.

She told the health secretary and radio host Jeremy Vine: “I've had lost four pregnancies and I have one living daughter. I feel the death of the stillborn baby girl I had could have been prevented with from better care and being listened to.

"I got involved this year with a local campaign group for our hospital – Keep the Horton General - and we've created a birth trauma dossier which was sent to Mr. Streeting in June. I wondered if he has had chance to look at it and what his thoughts are.”

Mr Streeting sympathised with Mrs Hopper over her bad experience and said he had been shocked by reports of injury suffered by friends while giving birth.

"There's loads of work that's already underway because maternity right across the country is in crisis and we've had some headline grabbing scandals,” he said.

"What I'm attempting to do at the moment, is pull together the different strands of work already underway so we've got a clear plan for maternity services across the country and we're not duplicating- and we are applying recommendations made for some of the worst-hit hospitals in the Midlands and the south east, so we're learning those lessons right across the NHS.

"In terms of that report your group has produced – thank you for that. We came in in July. I haven't personally seen it yet. So let me go back to the department and make sure that comes across my desk and the desk of our maternity minister as well, so that we can come back to you.

"And what I'd also say to your group and anyone else listening where you're involved in patient groups or campaign groups that are working on specific issues or NHS issues more generally, do also visit change.nhs.uk and join the national conversation, because those insights from patients are just as important as the expertise of people who are working in the NHS as well.”

KTHG Press and PR officer Charlotte Bird said: “I am very pleased my fellow KTHG member, Beth Hopper, was able speak directly to the Secretary of State for Health on national radio.

"We are fully aware that the current chronic situation in obstetrics is countrywide. I hope other campaign groups and organisations heard the broadcast and contact us. We need to work together and show this new government we are not going to be ignored.”

• KTHG’s dossier contains 50 disturbing accounts of trauma experienced by mothers and babies since the Horton Maternity Hospital was downgraded to a midwife-only unit. The group is collecting more stories for a second volume of the dossier.