Series of open letters to the chair of the expert group
reply received 28th April 2023
Thank you, Ros
Please be reassured that we do indeed have an open mind in regard to the Review outcomes.
Kind regards
Helen
Dr Helen Mactier
Honorary Senior Research Fellow within Medicine, University of Glasgow
email sent 27th April 2023
Dear Helen,
I wondered if you had seen this analysis of data from Public Health Scotland. At face value, it certainly looks worrying – I am still hoping for confirmation that the inquiry will keep an open mind and will at least look at vaccination status of all mothers with a neonatal death.
Yours,
Ros
Further letter sent 15th March:
Dear Dr Mactier,
I have received this rather anonymous reply on your behalf to my recent email which did not really answer our question to you.
I presume the panel will at least review the previous documents to check that vaccination status was considered. Obviously no-one wants to duplicate work already done, but it has been clearly stated that vaccination was not reviewed because of concerns that this might increase vaccine hesitancy. It would seem to be a total dereliction of duty to not even consider this new vaccine as a possible mechanism or contributory factor for the increased deaths and it should be relatively simple to address assuming that you will have access to the vaccination status with dates.
Once properly analysed, it would enable a prompt rebuttal of any anxieties or alternatively a suspension of vaccination in pregnancy, depending on the result of the investigation.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Ros Jones, retired consultant paediatrician
Reply received 14th March:
Dear Dr Jones
Thank you for your email and interest in the Review of Neonatal Mortality in Scotland.
The purpose of the review is to understand any contributing factors to the national increase in neonatal mortality. The review will assess and determine whether there are any themes, underlying causes or safety factors, from both a clinical and system perspective, and, if there are, should identify key learning points and make recommendations for improvements in the quality of care. The review is currently at an early stage.
The review will not duplicate any matters which are, or have been, the subject of other review, investigation or audit processes. In particular, it will not duplicate or carry out further reviews of individual neonatal deaths.
Kind Regards,
Neonatal Mortality Review Team
Healthcare Improvement Scotland
Letter sent 22nd February 2023
Dr Helen Mactier,
Chair, Neonatal Deaths Expert Review,
Dear Dr Mactier,
I am a retired neonatologist and was delighted to see that you are leading the review into the excess neonatal deaths in Scotland.
The Herald Newspaper in announcing your appointment, is still stating: “Any link to Covid vaccines has been ruled out on the basis of international evidence demonstrating their safety in pregnancy, but PHS confirmed that it had not checked the vaccination status of any of the mothers affected.”
It stressed that there was no public health basis to do so, and that such an analysis “whilst being uninformative for public health decision making, had the potential to be used to harm vaccine confidence”.
I am confident you can be trusted to undertake a thorough investigation of all possible causes, without preconceptions. It would be negligent to rule out any link to vaccination without even asking the question and it should be very simple to look at vaccination status of all the mothers of babies who died and compare them to a matched pregnancy where the baby survived.
I urge you to read the following letters, the first from Professor Richard Ennos to Professor Sarah Stock and the second addressed to the RCOG from a large number of concerned health professionals and academics.
In addition, this analysis of data released from Scotland found an increase in neonatal deaths if the mother had been vaccinated within the preceding 28 days https://www.hartgroup.org/scottish-pregnancy-data/.
Clearly there are potential mechanisms for concern, especially re possible effects of spike protein on blood vessels and the known increase in clotting problems and in myocarditis associated with the vaccines.
The suggestion previously voiced that an investigation of any role of vaccines might increase ‘vaccine hesitancy’ is clearly a non-argument. If the outcome of such an investigation showed no link to vaccination status, then surely that should reduce vaccine hesitancy. But if by any chance the vaccines do turn out to have a role in these deaths, then it would be negligent not to act upon such information.
Please can you assure me that vaccination status, including number of doses and time interval between vaccination and delivery, will be a definitive question in your investigation? In particular, the definition of ‘vaccinated’ must of course be from the date of the injection rather than as in many publications, where subjects are listed as ‘unvaccinated’ until 14 or 21 days post first or even second dose. Please read Professor Norman Fenton (Professor in Risk Information Management at Queen Mary University of London) on the statistical biases that have occurred.
With very best wishes
Dr Ros Jones, MBBS (Hons), DObstRCOG, MD, FRCPCH
Retired consultant paediatrician and neonatologist, convenor of Children’s Covid Vaccines Advisory Council
and 90 health professionals and academics below ……
Dr Nichola Ling, MBBS, MRCOG, Consultant obstetrician, Clinical Advisor to Digital Child Health and Maternity Programme NHS England
Dr Julia Wilkens, MD, Consultant in Obstetrics & Gynaecology (former FRCOG)
Dr John Williams, FRCOG, retired Consultant in Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Professor Angus Dalgleish, MD, FRCP, FRACP, FRCPath, FMedSci, Professor of Oncology, University of London; Principal, Institute for Cancer Vaccines & Immunotherapy
Professor Richard Ennos, MA, PhD, Honorary Professorial Fellow, University of Edinburgh
Professor John Fairclough, FRCS, FFSEM, retired Honorary Consultant Surgeon
Professor David Livermore, BSc, PhD, retired Professor of Medical Microbiology
Professor Dennis McGonagle, PhD, FRCPI, Consultant Rheumatologist, University of Leeds
Professor Karol Sikora, MA, MBBChir, PhD, FRCR, FRCP, FFPM, Honorary Professor of Professional Practice, Buckingham University
Professor Roger Watson, FRCP Edin, FRCN, FAAN, Professor of Nursing
Lord Moonie, MBChB, MRCPsych, MFCM, MSc, House of Lords, former parliamentary under-secretary of state 2001-2003, former Consultant in Public Health Medicine
Dr Najmiah K Ahmad, BM, MRCA, FCARCSI, Consultant Anaesthetist
Julie Annakin, RN, Immunisation Specialist Nurse
Helen Auburn, Dip ION MBANT NTCC CNHC RNT, registered Nutritional Therapist
Dr Ancha Bala-Joof BSc BSc MBChB MRCGP General Practitioner
Dr David Bell, MBBS, PhD, FRCP(UK), Public Health Physician
Dr Mark A Bell, MBChB, MRCP(UK), FRCEM, Consultant in Emergency Medicine
Dr Michael D Bell, MBChB, MRCGP, retired General Practitioner
Dr Alan Black, MBBS, MSc, DipPharmMed, retired Pharmaceutical Physician
Dr Gillian Breese, BSc, MB ChB, DFFP, DTM&H, General Practitioner
Mr John Bunni, MBChB (Hons), DipLapSurg, FRCS, Consultant Colorectal and General Surgeon
Dr H Burger, MRCGP, DRCOG, General Practitioner
Dr David Cartland, MBChB, BMedSci, General Practitioner
Caroline Cartledge, RM, BA (hons), Midwife
Angela Chamberlain, BSc (hons), Midwife
Dr Peter Chan, BM, MRCS, MRCGP, NLP, General Practitioner, Functional Medicine Practitioner
Michael Cockayne, MSc, PGDip, SCPHNOH, BA, RN, Occupational Health Practitioner
Mr Ian F Comaish, MA, BMBCh, FRCOphth, FRANZCO, Consultant Ophthalmologist
James Cook, NHS Registered Nurse, Bachelor of Nursing (Hons), Master of Public Health (MPH)
Dr Clare Craig, BMBCh, FRCPath, Pathologist
Dr David Critchley, BSc, PhD in Pharmacology, 32 years’ experience in Pharmaceutical R&D
Dr Sue de Lacy, MBBS, MRCGP, AFMCP, UK Integrative Medicine Doctor
Dr Jayne LM Donegan, MBBS, DRCOG, DCH, DFFP, MRCGP, General Practitioner
Dr Jonathan Eastwood, BSc, MBChB, MRCGP, General Practitioner
Dr Elizabeth Evans, MA(Cantab), MBBS, DRCOG, Co-founder UKMFA
Dr Christopher Exley, PhD FRSB, retired Professor in Bioinorganic Chemistry
Dr John Flack, BPharm, PhD, retired Director of Safety Evaluation, Beecham Pharmaceuticals, Senior Vice-president for Drug Discovery SmithKline Beecham
Sophie Gidet, RM, Midwife
Dr Cathy Greig, MBBCh(Hons), General Practitioner
Dr Ali Haggett, Mental health community work, 3rd sector, former Lecturer in the history of medicine
Mr Anthony Hinton, MBChB, FRCS, Consultant ENT Surgeon, London
Dr Keith Johnson, BA, D.Phil (Oxon), IP Consultant for Diagnostic Testing
Fiona Jones, BSc(Hons), DipPreSci, Cert Med Ed, FRPharmS, MFRPSII, Clinical Pharmacist Independent Prescriber (retired)
Dr Tanya Klymenko, PhD, FHEA, FIBMS, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences
Dr. Eashwarran Kohilathas, BMBS, doctor and author
Dr Caroline Lapworth, General Practitioner
Dr Branko Latinkic, BSc, PhD, Reader in Biosciences
Dr Theresa Lawrie, MBBCh, PhD, Director, Evidence-Based Medicine Consultancy Ltd, Bath
Dr Felicity Lillingston, IMD, DHS, PhD, ANP, Integrated Doctor, Doctor of Humanitarian Services, Research fellow
Katherine MacGilchrist, BSc(Hons) Pharmacology, MSc Epidemiology, CEO, Systematic Review Director, Epidemica Ltd
Dr Geoffrey Maidment, MBBS, DRCOG, MD, FRCP, retired Consultant Physician
Mr Ahmad K Malik, FRCS(Tr & Orth), Dip Med Sport, Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Ayiesha Malik, MBChB, General Practitioner
Dr Kulvinder S. Manik, MBChB, MRCGP, MA(Cantab), LLM, Gray’s Inn
Dr Sam McBride, BSc(Hons) Medical Microbiology & Immunobiology, MBBCh, BAO, MSc in Clinical Gerontology, MRCP(UK), FRCEM, FRCP(Edinburgh), NHS Emergency Medicine & Geriatrics
Kaira McCallum, BSc, retired Pharmacist, Director of Strategy UKMFA
Mr Ian McDermott, MBBS, MS, FRCS(Tr&Orth), FFSEM(UK), Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Franziska Meuschel, MD, ND, PhD, LFHom, BSEM, Nutritional, Environmental and Integrated Medicine
Dr Alistair Montgomery, MBChB, MRCGP, DRCOG, retired General Practitioner
Dr David Morris, MBChB, MRCP(UK), General Practitioner
Dr Alan Mordue, MBChB, FFPH, retired Consultant in Public Health Medicine & Epidemiology
Margaret Moss, MA(Cantab), CBiol, MRSB, Director, The Nutrition and Allergy Clinic, Cheshire
Theresa Ann Mounsey, BSc (hons) in midwifery studies
Dr Alice Murkies, MBBS, MD, FRACGP, General Practitioner and Medical Researcher
Dr Greta Mushet, MBChB, MRCPsych, retired Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy
Dr Angela Musso, MD, MRCGP, DRCOG, FRACGP, BS, General Practitioner
Dr Sarah Myhill, MBBS, Dip NM, Retired GP, Independent Naturopathic Physician
Dr Chris Newton, PhD, Biochemist working in immuno-metabolism
Dr Rachel Nicholl, PhD, Medical Researcher
Sue Parker Hall, certified transactional analyst (CTA, psychotherapy), MSc (Counselling & Supervision), MBACP (senior accredited practitioner), EMDR practitioner, Psychotherapist
Dr Christina Peers, MBBS, DRCOG, DFSRH, FFSRH, Menopause Specialist
Rev Dr William J U Philip, MBChB, MRCP, BD, Senior Minister The Tron Church, Glasgow, formerly doctor working in cardiology
Anna Phillips, RSCN, BSc Hons, Clinical Lead Trainer Clinical Systems (Paediatric Intensive Care)
Angharad Powell, MBChB, General Practitioner
Dr Gerry Quinn, PhD, Microbiologist
Dr Johanna Reilly, MBBS, General Practitioner
Jessica Righart, MSc, MIBMS, Senior Biomedical Scientist
Mr Angus Robertson, BSc, MBChB, FRCSEd (Tr & Orth), Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Jon Rogers, MBChB (Bristol), Retired General Practitioner
Mr James Royle, MBChB, FRCS, MMedEd, Colorectal Surgeon
Dr Salmaan Saleem, General Practitioner
Sorrel Scott, Grad Dip Phys, Specialist Physiotherapist in Neurology
Dr Rohaan Seth, BSc (hons), MBChB (hons), MRCGP, retired General Practitioner
Natalie Stephenson, BSc (Hons) Paediatric Audiologist
Dr Noel Thomas, MA, MBChB, DObsRCOG, DTM&H, MFHom, retired Doctor
Dr Livia Tossici-Bolt, PhD, Clinical Scientist
Tanya Wardle, RM, Registered Midwife
Dr Helen Westwood, MBChB, MRCGP, DCH, DRCOG, General Practitioner
Dr Carmen Wheatley, DPhil, Orthomolecular Oncology
Mr Lasantha Wijesinghe, FRCS, Consultant Vascular Surgeon
Dr Lucie Wilk, MD, Consultant Rheumatologist
