Key facts
- England will appoint a maternity commissioner to reform childbirth care following a government-commissioned review.
- The review by Lady Amos found maternity and neonatal services in England are unfit for purpose.
- Key recommendations include improved safety, listening to women, and embedding anti-racist practices.
- Families will gain the right to an independent investigation if unhappy with a hospital's internal inquiry.
- The NHS's compensation system for harmed families is criticized and recommended for replacement.
A major government-commissioned review into maternity and neonatal services in England has concluded that the current system is unfit for purpose, characterized by poor care, discrimination, and a failure to listen to women. In response, ministers have agreed to appoint a powerful maternity commissioner to drive urgent transformation of childbirth care.
The review, led by Lady Amos, found that the system requires urgent reform to prioritize safety, embed a focus on listening to women, and ensure anti-racist practices at every level. The appointed commissioner will be tasked with pursuing hospitals over persistent failures and ensuring wide-ranging improvements are made.
Key recommendations from the 181-page report include an overhaul of maternity triage services to ensure women's concerns are acted on more quickly, and the right for families to seek a fresh, independent investigation when things go wrong if they are not happy with the hospital’s own inquiry. The report also calls for the NHS's system of agreeing compensation with harmed families to be replaced by a new process where hospitals admit errors immediately.
Lady Amos highlighted that many previous recommendations to improve maternity care had not been implemented or had proved short-lived, with some maternity units deemed unsafe due to age and widespread understaffing. The report also noted that women of colour have experienced racism or discrimination, leading to unfair or unequal treatment and potentially unsafe care.