{
  "id": 14023540,
  "title": "Empathy can help make maternity care safer—here's how",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/empathy-can-help-make-maternity-care-safer-heres-how",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-12T18:40:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-empathy-maternity-safer.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The tragic death of 12-hour-old Poppy Russell in 2021 at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford serves as a stark reminder of the importance of empathy in maternity care. Poppy's parents, Neil and Katie Russell, are now working with the hospital trust to improve care through an initiative called Poppy's Promise. This initiative is built around four key principles: compassion, acknowledgment, respect, and empowerment.\n\nKatie Russell faced numerous communication issues during her pregnancy and labor, including being told she could not request a cesarean section and being left without care for extended periods. Despite these issues, her concerns were dismissed, contributing to a serious medical failure that ultimately led to her daughter's preventable death. An inquest concluded that Poppy would have survived if delivered an hour earlier.\n\nThe national investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England, led by Baroness Valerie Amos, found that many women felt dismissed, excluded from decisions, and left without answers when things went wrong. A national action plan is expected in December to address these issues.\n\nEmpathy, often seen as kindness or reassurance, involves understanding a patient's perspective, asking questions, and taking action based on that understanding. In Katie's case, empathy could have involved exploring her fear of childbirth, what she needed to feel safe, and available options. Depending on the circumstances, the response could have included a referral, a revised birth plan, or closer attention during labor. Sometimes, empathy means providing reassurance, investigating a symptom, reconsidering a decision, or escalating a concern.\n\nResearch shows that communication failures contribute to patient harm. A systematic review of 46 studies involving around 68,000 patients found that poor communication was the sole cause of roughly one in 10 patient safety incidents and contributed to roughly one in four incidents. These failures occur between healthcare professionals and between staff and patients.\n\nPoppy's Promise takes a practical approach to addressing communication failures in maternity care. The initiative covers education, recruitment, staff training, interactions with patients, feedback, leadership, and workplace culture. By making listening a routine part of care, Poppy's Promise aims to make care safer for patients like Poppy.",
  "summary": "Poppy Russell lived for just 12 hours. She died in April 2021 at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford after suffering a brain injury during birth. An inquest concluded that her death was preventable.",
  "key_points": [
    "Poppy Russell's death highlights importance of empathy in maternity care",
    "Katie Russell faced communication issues during pregnancy and labor",
    "Poppy's Promise initiative focuses on compassion, acknowledgment, respect, and empowerment"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}