14 NHS trusts named in national maternity investigation — with affected families having their say
Families affected by poor care, bereavement and past failings will help shape a major review into maternity and neonatal services across England.
The 14 hospital trusts that will be looked at as part of a major national investigation into maternity and newborn baby care have been announced today.
The investigation, led by Baroness Valerie Amos, is intended to hold failing NHS trusts to account after 15-plus years of systemic issues around maternity and neonatal care. It will look into what went wrong in certain hospitals and what was stopping the trusts from consistently providing high-quality, safe maternity and neonatal care.
Baroness Amos will look to make recommendations to improve the safety of and care available in maternity and neonatal care services at the named hospital trusts across the UK.
Wes Streeting, the health and social care secretary, announced the investigation in June this year as part of the Labour party’s ‘Plan for Change.’
“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,” he says. “Every single preventable tragedy is one too many.”
The investigation will be informed by data and affected families’ experiences
Independent reviews have found patterns of women’s voices being ignored, safety concerns being overlooked, and toxic cultures being created by poor leadership at certain NHS trusts.
So, the investigation aims to review the quality and safety of services at these trusts, and identify inequalities and barriers that are currently blocking improvements.
The trusts were chosen for review based on a few different factors, including perinatal mortality rates, maternity patient surveys and feedback from families, provision of care to people of diverse backgrounds, and having been under previous investigation.
Women and families affected by the trusts’ past failings will be consulted, and their lived experiences are understood and incorporated into the investigation.
“Bereaved families have shown extraordinary courage in coming forward to help inform this rapid national investigation alongside Baroness Amos,” Streeting says. “What they have experienced is devastating, and their strength will help protect other families from enduring what they have been through.”
“Harmed and bereaved families will be right at the heart of this investigation to ensure no-one has to suffer like this again.”
The recommendations will help to improve NHS care
Once the investigation is complete, Baroness Amos aims to produce a clear set of recommendations to improve the maternal and neonatal care at the 14 trusts, as well as some further recommendations in December 2025.
She says: “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.”
Parents-to-be being treated at these trusts shouldn’t worry
The 14 trusts that are under investigation are:
- Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust
- East Kent Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust
- Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Oxford University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
- The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
- The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
- University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
- Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust / Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Kate Brintworth, Chief Midwifery Officer for England, stressed that while the investigation is ongoing, staff remain committed to safe care:
“This independent investigation is a crucial step in driving meaningful change in maternity and neonatal care, and the diverse range of trusts selected – including where previous investigations have taken place to incorporate learnings– will provide valuable insight to help teams across the country improve care for women, babies and families,” she says.
“I want to reassure women and families that staff are continuing to work hard to provide the best possible care and want to do everything they can to support them – we would encourage them talk to their midwives and maternity teams if they have any concerns.
“The investigation will run alongside a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce – set up and chaired by the Health and Social Care Secretary and made up of a panel of esteemed experts and families – to keep up momentum and deliver change,” she says.
For mums-to-be, the message is that the majority of births are safe, but this review aims to make sure that every family can trust that the care they receive will be consistent, compassionate, and safe.