FAMILIES who lost loved ones during a maternity scandal at Barrow's hospital are being urged to become involved in a review of the organisation that decides whether midwives are safe to practice in the UK.

The review will investigate the way the Nursing and Midwifery Council handled the cases of staff involved in the care of mothers and babies who died at Furness General Hospital between 2004 and 2013.

Now, anyone who made a complaint to the NMC from 2008 onwards about the care they received from midwives at FGH is asked to share their thoughts on how their case was handled with the Professional Standards Authority - the organisation that will lead the review.

Its findings will then be used to improve the way the NMC deals with complaints made by members of the public in the future.

A spokesman for the PSA said: "The authority’s review will look at the way the NMC handled complaints and their communications with families, to help the NMC to improve how it handles complaints for the future.

"This review will not repeat the work which the Morecambe Bay investigation carried out – looking at the care which families received – but will instead make recommendations about how the NMC handles complaints and manages its relationships with witnesses, registrants and other key stakeholders.

"The authority knows that the death or injury of a family member during childbirth is very distressing and we will not publish the names of any families who contribute to our review in our report."

The NMC announced last year it would conduct a review into its own behaviour as it looked into compaints about Barrow midwives at the Dalton Lane unit.

The situation sparked anger from some families affected who called for it to be led by an independent body.

The PSA has already set the terms of reference for controversial review which will be spearheaded by Mark Stobbs, its director of scrutiny and quality.

The remit will include a seven-year delay between the death of a baby and the start of an investigation into failings in his care, issues of public protection and the NMC's approach to Freedom of Information requests.

What is the Professional Standards Agency?

This organisation overseas UK regulators like the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the General Medical Council to ensure they are acting properly.

What is the NMC?

The Nursing and Midwifery Council checks all nurses and midwives working in the UK - including in hospitals, GP surgeries and care homes - are qualified and fit to practice.

It can 'strike off' anyone deemed guilty of serious misconduct.

What is the Morecambe Bay Maternity Scandal?

A total of 11 babies and one mother were found to have died unnecessarily during or shortly after childbirth at Barrow's Furness General Hospital over a nine year period.

An NHS safety expert, Dr Bill Kirkup, concluded this was due to serious failures in care and an obsession among midwives for natural childbirth 'at all costs'.