Fourteen NHS hospital trusts have been named as part of a rapid, independent national investigation into maternity and neonatal services across England, led by Baroness Valerie Amos.
The investigation, announced in June 2025 by Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, aims to address systemic failings in maternity care dating back over 15 years. It will place families at the heart of the process, with affected individuals helping shape the Terms of Reference, which focus on lived experience, safety, inequalities, and barriers to improvement.
The investigation will aim to focus on the following issues:
- Understand the experiences of affected families
- Review the quality and safety of maternity and neonatal services
- Identify drivers of inequality and systemic issues
- Deliver interim recommendations by December 2025 and a final national report thereafter
Baroness Valerie Amos said:
“It is vital that the voices of mothers and families are at the heart of this investigation from the very beginning.
“Their experiences – including those of fathers and non-birthing partners – will guide our work and shape the national recommendations we will publish. We will pay particular attention to the inequalities faced by Black and Asian women and by families from marginalised groups, whose voices have too often been overlooked.
“Our aims are to ensure the lived experiences of affected families are fully heard, to conduct and publish 14 local investigations of maternity and neonatal services, and to develop recommendations informed by these that will drive improvements across maternity and neonatal services nationwide.”
The investigation follows multiple independent reviews that revealed recurring issues: ignored safety concerns, poor leadership, and toxic cultures in maternity units.
Among the 14 NHS trusts that are 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 University NHS Foundation Trust
Health Secretary Wes Streeting also said:
“Bereaved families have shown extraordinary courage in coming forward to help inform this rapid national investigation alongside Baroness Amos.
“What they have experienced is devastating, and their strength will help protect other families from enduring what they have been through.
“I know that NHS maternity and neonatal workers want the best for these mothers and babies, and that the vast majority of births are safe and without incident, but I cannot turn a blind eye to failures in the system.
“Every single preventable tragedy is one too many. Harmed and bereaved families will be right at the heart of this investigation to ensure no-one has to suffer like this again.”
These trusts were selected based on CQC survey data, MBRRACE-UK perinatal mortality rates, case mix, geographic diversity, and family feedback. The investigation will also incorporate findings from previous reviews at Shrewsbury and Telford, East Kent, and Morecambe Bay.
This work is part of the government’s Plan for Change, aiming to build an NHS fit for the future, with greater accountability and urgent action to improve maternity care nationwide.
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