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LONDON | 25 June 2025 – The UK government has launched a rapid national investigation into failings in NHS maternity and neonatal care, following years of repeated safety breaches, inadequate leadership, and systemic harm to families. The inquiry, announced by Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, aims to deliver truth, accountability, and urgent improvements by the end of 2025.
The two-part investigation, set to begin this summer, will first examine up to 10 of the most concerning maternity and neonatal units—including Sussex—before expanding into a broader national review. It comes in response to a series of independent reports revealing avoidable deaths, trauma, and a lack of compassionate care across multiple NHS trusts.
“We must act—and we must act now,” said Streeting. “These failures should never have happened. No family should have to endure such devastating loss in silence.”
National Taskforce and Scope
The process will be overseen by a newly formed National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by Streeting and comprising medical experts, NHS leaders, and bereaved families. The taskforce is mandated to:
- Deliver an urgent review of the most troubled services.
- Consolidate findings from past inquiries into a single national action plan.
- Develop long-term reforms to improve care quality, culture, and accountability across NHS maternity services.
Immediate Reforms
While the investigation proceeds, the government will roll out a package of immediate reforms, including:
- Direct NHS intervention in underperforming trusts to enforce cultural and safety changes.
- Deployment of a digital maternity safety system by November to enable real-time monitoring of risks.
- Launch of an anti-discrimination programme to address care disparities affecting Black, Asian, and underserved communities.
Streeting emphasized the importance of clinician involvement, stating, “I want staff to come with us on this journey. The vast majority of NHS midwives and maternity workers provide safe, caring support—but something has gone wrong, and we must fix it together.”
A Key Test for Patient Safety
The review is part of the government’s broader Plan for Change, designed to build a future-proof NHS and restore public trust in maternity services. Streeting has called maternity care the “litmus test” for patient safety in the UK and pledged full transparency and reform.
The investigation’s findings are expected to inform major policy shifts and reshape maternity care nationwide, with the final report due by December 2025.
Excerpts from UK NHE article authored by Dan Benn
