Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said that “we should work now” as he announced the national inquiry of maternity care in England.
The “rapid” inquiry will immediately see the worst performing maternity and newborn services in the country, including Leeds, Sussex, Glusters and Mid and South Essex.
Streeting met the parents who lost infants in a series of maternity scams in some NHS trusts and said the investigation would “ensure that these families are entitled to the truth and accountability”.
It will start with this heat and report back by December 2025.
Announcing on Monday, Streeting apologized to the NHS from the families who suffered losses to escape.
It comes after a series of maternity scams, such as Morekambay Bay, East Kent, Shreyusbari and Telford and Nottingham, which BBC News has reported extensively.
Streeting said that the reviews would include the victims of maternity scams, which will give a voice to the families as to how the investigation goes on.
He said that he wants to ensure that “a parents or a child is never disappointed”.
“I know that no one wants better for women and infants than thousands of NHS shelter, obstetricians, obstetrics and newborns, and that most of the birth is safe and without event, but it is clear that something is going wrong,” he said.
“For the last one year, I am meeting with bereaved families across the country who have lost children or have suffered serious losses during their most joyful time in their lives.
Streeting said, “What he has experienced is devastating – deep painful stories of trauma, loss, and lack of basic compassion – NHS that should never have been caused by failures in maternity care,” Streeting said.
“His bravery in speaking has made it clear: we should work – and we should work now.”
The investigation will include two parts. The first will conduct an immediate check up to 10 out of 10 related to maternity and newborn units, so that to respond as soon as possible to the affected families as soon as possible. The identity of these units has not been decided yet.
The second will give a system-wide look on maternity and neonatal care, which will bring lessons from previous inquiries to create a national set of tasks to improve care in every NHS maternity service.
An anti-discrimination program is also being planned to deal with inequalities in the care of black, Asian and other disqualified communities.
The announcement comes after a series of important reports in maternity care in the last decade.
- In March 2015 Found in an investigation Between 2004 and 2013 – the report described a relaxed culture once – failure to examine inferior clinical skills, poor risk assessment and cases properly and learn lessons.
- In March 2022 A probe of services in Shrewsbury and Telfard NHS Trust It was found that more than 200 mothers and children could survive with better care.
- Then, in October that year, A review in maternity services at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust It was found that at least 45 children would have survived if they were given proper treatment.
- And An ongoing review in maternity care provided by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS TrustDue to the completion of the next year, it is ready to be the largest with an investigation of about 2,500 cases.
- Meanwhile, an annual review in 2024 units by inspectors in the Care Quality Commission found that not a single out of the 131 units inspected to provide top arrears to provide safe care.
- Families in many fields including Sussex, Leeds and Oxford are also calling for local investigation into their maternity services.
Chief Executive of Baby Los Charity Sands, Dr. Cly Harr said that the national inquiry was “very important and longer and longer”.
He said that “permanent systemic changes” needs to happen.
Anne Kavanagh from Irwin Mitchell Solicitor, who represented the number of affected families, said the scams stated “everyone pointed to deep rooted problems at the national level” so the announcement was welcomed by the government.
He said the national inqu
