NHS maternity failings exposed again in Baroness Amos’ initial National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation report

She said the report contained no surprises and sadly underlined stories that are very familiar to medical negligence lawyers at Leigh Day. Sanja said what is needed is urgent action to right the wrongs that are now systemic in UK maternity care.

The report outlines recurring issues identified across multiple NHS trusts, including women not being listened to, inadequate information being provided to support informed decision-making, inconsistent responses to concerns about reduced foetal movement, and reports of women who had experienced pregnancy loss being placed on wards with newborn babies. The report also notes concerns about discrimination affecting women of colour, younger mothers, working class women and those with mental health difficulties.

Baroness Amos confirmed that almost 750 recommendations on maternity and neonatal safety have been made over the past decade, yet progress across services has been described as slow, with similar findings arising repeatedly.

Baroness Amos was asked by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting to chair a rapid independent investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England.

The Investigation will launch an online Call for Evidence for families in January 2026, which will be open for eight weeks.

In February 2026, the Investigation intends to publish a report with initial findings following NHS Trust site visits. The final report and national recommendations will be published in Spring 2026. The recommendations will be turned into a National Action Plan by the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by Mr Streeting.

The 12 NHS Trusts being reviewed as part of the Investigation are:

• Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
• Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust
• Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
• Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
• University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
• University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
• University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

Leigh Day partner Sanja Strkljevic said:

“This latest report into the state of NHS maternity care in the UK sadly tells a very familiar story. The issues highlighted by Baroness Amos are well known, especially by those of us who work in the clinical negligence legal arena. Sadly we hear these kinds of issues raised again and again by mothers and families who come to us to try to achieve some kind of assurance that their experience will not be repeated.

“The time for discussion is over, what we need is an urgent plan to fundamentally change maternity care in the UK.”