UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – UK health secretary Wes Streeting orders national probe into NHS maternity care, citing systemic failures and pledging support for grieving families.
As reported by The Independent, Wes Streeting has launched a nationwide inquiry into NHS maternity services following growing concerns over patient safety. The inquiry aims to expose the truth for families hit by failures and fast-track vital reforms in maternity care and safety.
Mr Streeting ordered the inquiry after meeting parents who had lost their babies.
What did Wes Streeting say about NHS maternity failures?
Wes Streeting said,
“For the past year, I have been meeting bereaved families from across the country who have lost babies or suffered serious harm during what should have been the most joyful time in their lives.”
He stated,
“What they have experienced is devastating – deeply painful stories of trauma, loss, and a lack of basic compassion – caused by failures in NHS maternity care that should never have happened. Their bravery in speaking out has made it clear: we must act – and we must act now.”
The health secretary said,
“I know nobody wants better for women and babies than the thousands of NHS midwives, obstetricians, maternity and neonatal staff, and that the vast majority of births are safe and without incident, but it’s clear something is going wrong.”
He added,
“That’s why I’ve ordered a rapid national investigation to make sure these families get the truth and the accountability they deserve, and ensure no parent or baby is ever let down again. I want staff to come with us on this, to improve things for everyone.”
Mr Streeting confirmed immediate steps are underway to tackle and hold failing maternity units to account, adding,
“Maternity care should be the litmus test by which this Government is judged on patient safety, and I will do everything in my power to ensure no family has to suffer like this again.”
A new National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by Wes Streeting, has been confimed by the Department of Health.
Wes Streeting apologises for NHS maternity scandals
Wes Streeting issued an apology on behalf of the NHS to families impacted by maternity care failures after meeting grieving parents across the country.
He stated,
“All of them have had to fight the truth and justice, they describe being ignored, gaslit, lied to, manipulated and damaged further by the inability for a trust to simply be honest with them that something has gone wrong. I want to say publicly how sorry I am.”
Mr Streeting said,
“Sorry for what the NHS has put them through; sorry for the way they’ve been treated since by the state and sorry that we haven’t put this right yet, because these families are owed more than an apology. They’re owed change; they’re owed accountability and they’re owed the truth.”
The Health Secretary warned that maternity service failures are no longer isolated but “systemic.”
Speaking at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists conference in London, he said,
“It’s not just a few bad units. Up and down the country, maternity units are failing, hospitals are failing, trusts are failing, regulators are failing. There’s too much obfuscation; too much passing the buck and giving lip service.”
Royal College of Midwives views on the state of maternity services
According to the RCM, maternity care in Britain is now “at, or even beyond, breaking point” due to mounting pressures.
RCM chief executive Gill Walton stated,
“Every woman and family should leave maternity and neonatal services whole, happy and healthy. Yet we know that, for far too many, that isn’t their experience.”
She said,
“Systemic failings and a lack of attention to the warning signs have let those families down and let down the hardworking staff who are trying so hard to provide the care they deserve.”
Ms Walton stated,
“Everyone involved in maternity services – the midwifery community, obstetricians, anaesthetists, sonographers and, of course, the women and families in their care – knows that maternity services are at, or even beyond, breaking point.”
She added,
“This renewed focus and commitment by the Health Secretary to deliver change is welcome, and we will do everything we can to support him in doing so.”
Professor Thakar stance on the crisis in maternity care
Ranee Thakar, head of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said substandard maternity services are costing lives.
She said,
“The maternity workforce is on its knees, with many now leaving the profession. It is vital that the national review announced today is done quickly, builds on the evidence from previous maternity investigations and produces a definitive set of recommendations that galvanises action across the system.”
According to her, maternity wards have faced chronic understaffing, insufficient training, and a lack of up-to-date resources.
Ms Thakar stated,
“The route forward must include offering trusts, particularly the most challenged, the right support and tools to deliver safe and personalised care, and we urge the government to not to lose sight of funding and workforce shortages within this.”
Inquiry about maternity failures at Nottingham NHS
In 2020, an inquiry by The Independent exposed systemic failures in maternity care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. The investigation revealed that for over a decade, parents were forced to seek the truth behind their children’s deaths and serious birth injuries.
The joint investigation with Channel 4 revealed 46 cases of babies left with permanent brain damage, 19 stillbirths, and 15 neonatal deaths.