The Division of Well being and Social Care will roll out a nationwide maternity dashboard, as a part of measures to deal with failings in care.
Talking on the Royal School of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists World Convention on 23 June 2025, well being secretary Wes Streeting introduced a nationwide investigation into maternity and neonatal companies.
“Over the past yr, I’ve been wrestling with how we deal with the issues in maternity and neonatal items.
“And I’ve come to the realisation that whereas there may be motion we are able to take now, we have now to acknowledge that this has change into systemic.
“It’s not only a few dangerous items up and down the nation.
“Maternity items are failing. Hospitals are failing. Trusts are failing. Regulators are failing,” Streeting mentioned.
He additionally flagged points with “enormously huge race and sophistication inequalities” in maternity care.
“Ladies, particularly black, Asian, and dealing class ladies, should not listened to or given the possibility to be advocates for their very own well being,” he mentioned.
To deal with this he introduced a package deal of measures to “begin taking motion now”, together with a brand new digital system which can be rolled out to all maternity companies by November 2025 to “flag potential security issues in trusts and help fast, nationwide motion”.
“We’ll roll out the brand new MOSS digital system to flag potential security issues and belief a lot earlier, and help fast motion and roll out a nationwide maternity and neonatal inequalities knowledge dashboard,” Streeting mentioned.
Streeting launched a “fast nationwide investigation of maternity and neonatal companies” modelled on Lord Darzi’s investigation into the state of the NHS.
He mentioned that this might be an evidence-based investigation setting out what goes unsuitable and priorities for motion, look intimately at as much as 10 maternity items which might be the best trigger for concern.
Streeting additionally introduced the creation of a Nationwide Maternity and Neonatal Process Pressure, bringing collectively specialists, workers, campaigners and representatives of households to assist drive enchancment throughout the NHS.
Commenting on the plans, Angela McConville, chief government at Nationwide Childbirth Belief, mentioned: “This investigation has been gained by the dedication of bereaved households who’ve bravely spoken out in regards to the devastating failures in NHS maternity care.
“The quick funding package deal is an important begin to tackling deep-rooted inequalities, coaching frontline workers and bettering the UK’s worst performing companies.
“The nationwide investigation should now transfer at tempo to set out a transparent, actionable plan for each NHS maternity and neonatal unit.
“We’ve seen first hand the ability of co-creating options with ladies and fogeys. Actual change can occur if the federal government listens, learns and builds a well-resourced, secure and equitable maternity system that works for all.”
Dr Clea Harmer, chief government at Sands, mentioned: “We look ahead to working with the Secretary of State on this much-needed and long-overdue programme and to making sure that concrete steps are taken in the direction of actual accountability and lasting systemic change.
The announcement of an impartial evaluation of maternity companies follows a collection of high-profile failures in maternity care throughout a number of NHS trusts.
