England Inquiry Urges 8 NHS Maternity Reforms as Report Finds Racism and Unsafe Care
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jun 29
England Inquiry Urges 8 NHS Maternity Reforms as Report Finds Racism and Unsafe Care
2 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jun 29
Summary
Baroness Valerie Amos's national review said England's NHS maternity system is not consistently safe or compassionate and called for eight reforms, including a maternity commissioner to drive accountability.
More than 450 families and visits to 12 NHS trusts pointed to a core failure to listen to women and families, producing fragmented care, wide variation between services and preventable harm.
Triage was singled out for immediate overhaul, with dedicated midwives to answer calls and face-to-face appointments when concerns persist; the report said those changes could save lives and reduce harm.
Racism and discrimination were described as embedded safety risks requiring urgent data tracking and board-level escalation, while Amos rejected calls for a statutory public inquiry as too slow.
The Department of Health said it would take urgent steps, publish a national action plan in December and back changes with £41 million, though some families and campaigners called the report a missed opportunity.
With hundreds of failed recommendations, can one new commissioner truly fix England's broken maternity services?
As birth injuries reach a six-year high, is a £41m investment enough to overhaul the entire system?
England’s NHS Maternity Crisis: 2026 Amos Inquiry Reveals Systemic Failures and Demands National Reform
Overview
In June 2026, Baroness Valerie Amos’s independent inquiry revealed that England’s NHS maternity and neonatal services face deep, systemic failures. The report, prompted by growing concerns from families and advocacy groups, showed that problems are not limited to individual hospitals but are widespread across the country. Groups like the Nottingham Maternity Families Group called for a national inquiry, stressing that issues are not unique to specific trusts. The findings highlighted an urgent need for comprehensive reform to ensure safe, high-quality care for all families, confirming that these failures are a national, not local, problem.