Bereaved families call for public inquiry into maternity care

Bereaved parents have come together in Glasgow to call for a public inquiry into the deaths of babies and mothers across Scotland.

A nine-month independent review of Scotland’s maternity services started last month after families, staff and experts called for improvements to poor and sometimes deadly care in a BBC Disclosure investigation.

But families who have lost babies following failures claimed the current review would not go far enough, and have demanded “answers, accountability and justice for our babies”.

Health Secretary Angela Constance said the voices and experiences of families “must be central” in informing the review.

Julie Keegan and Angus McLean were among campaigners in Glasgow city centre.

The couple’s three-day old son Mason Scott McLean died after a series of errors in his care at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow in 2023.

Failures in Mason’s care included missing key tests that would have indicated he had a life-threatening infection.

An internal review by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) found “several systematic issues” that may have caused his death.

But the couple said they were still trying to get answers to questions asked almost four years ago.

The health board apologised for “missed opportunities” for care and said it had taken action on the recommendations in the review.

“We want accountability and an independent public inquiry to find out how many of these babies could have been saved,” Angus told BBC Scotland News.

“This is the only thing we can do now for Mason to honour him because he should still be here and we want to find out why he is not.”