Guidance to writing a statement
When writing a statement in maternity care following a safety event, NHS and professional guidelines emphasise several key points to ensure accuracy, clarity, and usefulness in investigations or legal proceedings.
Prior to writing your statement it is important that you are aware of why you are being asked to write a statement and how long you must complete it.
- It is good practice to read any clinical records that you need prior to writing and submitting your statement. The best statements are those that tell the story of events and explain why you made certain decisions etc and not a timeline of the events. This is because the timeline can often be sourced via the clinical records.
Whilst preparing and writing your statement if you identify that you did not do something correctly or did something that was not in line with guidance explain your rationale if you can.
For example…. You may have not recorded maternal pulse after listening to the fetal heart rate. Although it is your normal practice to do so you cannot account for why this was not performed on the day. This shows the reviewer that you are aware this is something that you normally do and are aware it was meant to have been completed.
- Statement Structure and Details:
- Begin with your full name, qualifications, professional registration number (e.g. Nursing and Midwifery Council PIN), job title, your employer’s name, and relevant details about your role. Add in how long you have been employed in your current role and worked for the Trust.
- Provide the date, time, and your duty details during the incident. If the situation involved any unusual conditions (e.g., short-staffing or high patient volume), include this.
- Write chronologically, explaining your actions and decisions clearly. Be precise with times and any medical observations.
- Always refer to patients by their title and surname, never using terms like “the patient” or “the deceased,” and refer to colleagues by their full names and titles.
- Content Guidelines:
- Statements must be factual. Avoid including opinions, assumptions, or speculation. Avoid using terms like ‘I felt’ or ‘I think’.
- Ensure accuracy by referencing maternity records and guidelines where possible and clarify if any information comes from your memory. If you’ve reviewed notes or records, make this explicit.
- Explain any medical terminology or abbreviations used and contextualise any test results mentioned.
- Formatting and Submission:
- Statements should ideally be typed, with each page signed and numbered (e.g., “Page 1 of 3”).
- Include a “statement of truth” at the end, typically a declaration that the contents are true to your best knowledge.
- Support and Advice:
- Before finalising your statement, you can seek guidance from your local governance or legal team, and in many cases, a union representative (like from the Royal College of Midwives). Hospitals often provide templates and resources to assist in drafting statements and understanding the process.
- Staff members involved in incidents may receive debriefing and psychological support as part of hospital policies.
For more detailed information, you can consult the Royal College of Midwives’ guidelines or your specific NHS trust’s policy on incident management and staff support.