THE solicitor representing two of the families whose babies died at Wyre Forest Birth Centre has said they are too traumatised to speak about their loss.

After listening to the findings of the damning report being officially presented to the West Midland South Strategic Health Authority at a meeting held in public, Louise Hunt, of Solihull-based Alexander Harris Solicitors, said her clients' experiences were "very tragic cases that reinforced what the report was saying".

She explained: "The families were hoping to speak out but they are just too traumatised to speak about what's happened.

"I think, from our point of view, I can't understand why we have to have a tragedy before we get things right. It's immensely sad."

Peter Garland, who led the inquiry team, said two other members of the panel discussed the contents of the report with the bereaved families. John Rostill, chief executive of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, accompanied them.

"It's difficult to speak for them but there is, obviously, still a huge amount of hurt among the parents," Mr Garland said.

"They're understandably still traumatised by what's happened to them."

l A monitoring group was established at the meeting, last Thursday, to supervise the implementation of the report's 27 recommendations, chaired by former deputy chief probation officer for the West Midlands, Marie Eastwood.

It is expected to comprise directors of nursing, medicine, communications and locality, from within the SHA, as well as independent medical, midwifery and public patient involvement experts.

It must supervise the implementation of the report's recommendations and report back to the SHA next March.

Mrs Eastwood, a state registered nurse and non-executive director of the SHA, told the Shuttle/Times & News it would be a "big job" for the trust to implement all of the recommendations.

"My suspicion is that they have already addressed many of them because, inevitably, once you've closed a centre down because you have that concern you begin to look at it," she said.

"At this stage, I think it would be premature to say what the outcomes will be but I do think all the recommendations will be addressed and that's what our group's job is - to be sure that they are."

Mr Rostill told the Shuttle/Times & News yesterday that "a considerable amount of work" had been done since the report was published last week and welcomed Mrs Eastwood's appointment. He said he was committed to working "very closely" with the group and its first meeting was likely to be next week.

"I expect to be in a position to convince the SHA that considerable progress has been made in the last year, that a number of recommendations have been completely implemented and that we're well on the with most of the others," he said.

"I've no doubt that, by the end of March next year, all the recommendations will have been addressed."

Sixty-three-year-old Mrs Eastwood said her group's task included looking at staff training needs, as well as being assured that robust clinical guidance processes were in place.