What is the Trust doing and why?
Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust is undertaking a thematic review of all stillbirths that occurred during the 2025 calendar year. This work is part of our ongoing commitment to learning, improvement and safer maternity care.
By looking back across cases, we aim to identify themes, understand where care can be strengthened, and ensure that learning leads to meaningful and sustained improvements for families in the future.
Why is the Trust carrying out this review now?
We have chosen to carry out this review as part of our wider improvement journey and action plan for maternity services. We know that listening, learning, and acting on what families and staff tell us is essential if we are to improve care.
Families who have already shared their experiences with us have been clear that improvements are needed, and we are committed to continuing to listen and take action.
Who is involved in the review?
The review will include input from:
- Experts from NHS England
- Clinicians from local NHS trusts
- Representatives from the Local Maternity and Neonatal System
This breadth of expertise will help ensure that learning is robust, independent, and focused on improvement.
Which cases will be included?
The review will consider all stillbirths that occurred during the 2025 calendar year. This may include antenatal care provided by Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, even if a baby was born at another organisation.
How are families being involved?
We believe that listening to families is essential to improving maternity care. Clinical records alone cannot fully reflect what families experience during pregnancy, birth and loss.
Each family affected will be contacted directly and given the opportunity to decide whether they would like to be involved and to have their experiences heard. Family experiences help us to understand what mattered most, what felt supportive, and where care may not have met expectations.
Do families have to take part?
No. There is absolutely no obligation to take part.
We understand that this process may feel difficult or may bring back painful memories. Choosing not to take part will be fully respected. Families can also choose how much or how little they wish to share.
Families also have the right to opt out of the review if they do not wish their baby’s care to be included.
What support is available for families?
We recognise the risk of re‑traumatisation and are committed to ensuring families are supported with compassion, sensitivity and consistency.
Families can access support through:
- Their GP or community midwife
- Local maternity bereavement services
- National charities such as Sands and Tommy’s
If families would like help accessing support, the Trust can also assist.
What happens if the review identifies concerns about my care?
If the review identifies any concerns relating specifically to a family’s care, the Trust will ensure these are discussed openly, honestly and sensitively with those affected.
What if my baby was stillborn before 2025?
The thematic review is focused on stillbirths that occurred during the 2025 calendar year, so cases prior to, or after, 2025 are currently not included in the review.
Cases from 2024 have already been subject to detailed scrutiny through a Black Country stillbirth review, meaning those families’ experiences have already contributed to learning and improvement.
However, we know that many families who experienced the loss of a baby outside of this window may wish to share their experiences, and we recognise how valuable these voices are. While these experiences will not form part of the formal review, families are still welcome to share feedback or reflections if they wish to do so.
You can e-mail swbh.maternitylistening@nhs.net