Latest news with #RCOG
Rhyl Journal
24-06-2025
- Health
- Rhyl Journal
Streeting launches investigation into maternity services after families ‘gaslit'
Wes Streeting said that 'up and down' the country 'maternity units are failing, hospitals are failing, trusts are failing, regulators are failing' and there was 'too much passing the buck'. He stopped short of launching a statutory public inquiry, despite it being the wish of some bereaved families, but said he would keep 'that option open'. He said: 'I think there is a broad consensus that having a rapid investigation is the right thing to do, even where families are pushing for a public inquiry to follow because what I don't think any of those families calling for a public inquiry want to see is action stalled or delayed in pursuit of a public inquiry, or while a public inquiry would take time to run a report.' Mr Streeting, who has been meeting families who have lost babies to poor maternity care, told the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) conference in London: 'Over the last year, I've been wrestling with how we tackle problems in maternity and neonatal units, and I've come to the realisation that while there is action we can take now, we have to acknowledge that this has become systemic. 'It's not just a few bad units. Up and down the country, maternity units are failing, hospitals are failing, trusts are failing, regulators are failing. 'There's too much obfuscation, too much passing the buck and giving lip service.' Mr Streeting apologised on behalf of the NHS, having met families in Nottingham and around the country whose children have died or been injured. Senior midwife Donna Ockenden is currently examining how hundreds of babies died or were injured in the care of Nottingham University Hospitals Trust. Mr Streeting said: 'All of them have had to fight for truth and justice, they describe being ignored, gaslit, lied to, manipulated and damaged further by the inability for a trust to simply be honest with them that something has gone wrong. 'I want to say publicly how sorry I am, sorry for what the NHS has put them through, sorry for the way they've been treated since by the state and sorry that we haven't put this right yet, because these families are owed more than an apology. They're owed change, they're owed accountability and they're owed the truth.' The Health Secretary said risk is 'considerably higher' than it should be for women and babies because of a 'crisis' in maternity and neo-natal services. He added: 'Within the past 15 years, we've seen appalling scandals that blew the lid on issues ranging from care, safety, culture and oversight: Shrewsbury, Telford, East Kent, Nottingham. 'The last government responded with initiatives like Better Births in 2016 and the maternity transformation programme. 'But, despite improvements on some metrics, inequalities in maternal and neo-natal outcomes have become more visible, not less. The rate of late maternal deaths has been consistently rising. 'Babies of black ethnicity are twice as likely to be stillborn than babies of white ethnicity, and black women are still two to three times more likely to die during pregnancy or shortly after birth than white women. 'Tragically, that gap is closing slightly, but partly because more white women are dying in childbirth.' Other high-profile scandals had deepened the public's mistrust in the state, Mr Streeting continued. 'From the Horizon Post Office scandal to the infected blood scandal, the degradation of responsibility and trust in our institutions is compounding a cynicism and malaise at the ability of British politics to deliver for people. 'This is a dangerous place for a country to be. 'If we do not admit the scale of the failure in maternity services, we're condemning ourselves to etching that mistrust deeper. 📢 National maternity and neonatal investigation to be launched Too many families have suffered preventable harm. The investigation will urgently look at services with specific issues and the entire maternity system, making sure each family receives safe and compassionate care. — Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 23, 2025 'If we cannot admit openly that we as institutions and as a state got this wrong, we'll never be able to fix it or rebuild that trust. 'Too many children have died because of state failure and I will not allow it to continue under my watch.' The new investigation will consist of two parts. The first will investigate trusts of greatest concern at the moment, including Leeds, Gloucester, Mid and South Essex and Sussex, 'to hold them to account for improvement', Mr Streeting said. He added: 'I'm currently discussing with Leeds families the best way to grip the challenges brought to light in that trust by their campaigning, reports in the media and the latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) report, and I'll be ordering an investigation into nine specific cases identified by families in Sussex …' The second part of the investigation will be a 'system-wide' look at maternity and neonatal care, uniting lessons from past maternity inquiries to create one 'clear set of actions' designed to improve national NHS care. A National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by Mr Streeting, has also been set up, made up of experts and bereaved families. The investigation will begin this summer and report back by December. A new digital system will be rolled out to all maternity services by November to flag potential safety concerns in trusts, while an anti-discrimination programme to tackle inequalities is being launched. Health and Social Care Secretary @WesStreeting announced a national maternity investigation at @RCObsGyn Shaped by families failed by the system, the investigation comes alongside a set of immediate actions to improve care in NHS maternity and neonatal services. — Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 23, 2025 Asked about the cost of the review, Mr Streeting said: 'I suspect it will be somewhat less than the enormous costs we pay in clinical negligence claims. 'Probably the most shocking statistic in this area is that we are paying out more in clinical negligence for maternity failures than we are spending on maternity services. That's how bad things are. 'So, putting together a review team, undertaking the level of analytical work required to produce a really good, high-quality evidence-based report is a drop in the ocean compared to the price of failure.' Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said: 'Despite the hard work of staff, too many women are experiencing unacceptable maternity care and families continue to be let down by the NHS when they need us most. 'This rapid national investigation must mark a line in the sand for maternity care – setting out one set of clear actions for NHS leaders to ensure high quality care for all. 'Transparency will be key to understanding variation and fixing poor care – by shining a spotlight on the areas of greatest failure we can hold failing trusts to account. 'Each year, over half a million babies are born under our care and maternity safety rightly impacts public trust in the NHS – so we must act immediately to improve outcomes for the benefit of mothers, babies, families and staff.' The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said maternity services are 'at, or even beyond, breaking point'. RCM chief executive Gill Walton said: 'Every woman and family should leave maternity and neonatal services whole, happy and healthy. 'Yet we know that, for far too many, that isn't their experience. 'Systemic failings and a lack of attention to the warning signs have let those families down and let down the hardworking staff who are trying so hard to provide the care they deserve. 'Everyone involved in maternity services: the midwifery community, obstetricians, anaesthetists, sonographers and, of course, the women and families in their care; knows that maternity services are at, or even beyond, breaking point. 'This renewed focus and commitment by the Health Secretary to deliver change is welcome, and we will do everything we can to support him in doing so.' Professor Ranee Thakar, president of the RCOG, said: 'The maternity workforce is on its knees, with many now leaving the profession.' She said that 'for years, maternity units have had too few staff, too little time for training and lacked modern equipment and facilities, resulting in women and babies being harmed.' She urged the Government to 'not to lose sight of funding and workforce shortages within this'.
New Statesman
23-06-2025
- Health
- New Statesman
Wes Streeting's maternity revolution
Photo by PA Images / Alamy Less than a week after meeting with families failed by English maternity services, Wes Streeting has announced a rapid national investigation into the care received by women and their babies across the country. Starting this summer, the investigation will urgently look at up to ten of the worst-performing hospital trusts in the country, as well as examining the maternity system at large, and bringing together the findings of past reviews into one clear national action plan. The review will be modelled on the Darzi investigation into the state of the NHS, which reported back its findings two months after being commissioned. Making the announcement at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' (RCOG) World Congress, the Health and Social Care Secretary made clear how much the experiences of families has influenced his decision. 'What they have experienced is devastating – deeply painful stories of trauma, loss, and a lack of basic compassion – caused by failures in NHS maternity care that should never have happened. Their bravery in speaking out has made it clear: we must act – and we must act now.' Too many children have been dying, he said. And he wanted to say sorry. 'These families are owned more than apology; they're owed change, accountability; they're owed the truth.' Speaking to journalists afterwards, Streeting said that he sat in meetings with families in a 'state of disbelief… What you hear is so shocking, you think this can't possibly be true. And then you look at the evidence, and you see that is exactly what they have been through.' We are, he said, 'talking about the deaths of children. We're talking about harm and disablement of children. We're talking about mothers who've had severe birth injuries… The sorts of things they have to tell me, a total stranger, a man, someone in a suit from government, describing their inability to have sex with their partners and husbands any longer because of the birthing injuries they've suffered, or presenting me with the ashes of their children… it really does bring it home to you just exactly what these women and their partners have been through.' Addressing the roomful of doctors at the RCOG conference, Streeting said that the risk of giving birth was 'considerably higher than it should be because of the state of the crisis in our maternity and neonatal services.' He referenced the 'appalling scandals' in maternity care at Morecambe Bay, Shrewsbury and Telford, East Kent and Nottingham, but said that the problem was 'not just a few bad units up and down the country' – it's systemic. Poor maternity care was at the top of the list of things that kept him awake at night. What the Health Secretary did not announce, was a full, public statutory inquiry. Families whose babies have died or been harmed, and women who have been left badly injured as a result of mistakes made during birth, do not speak with one voice. However, some don't feel today's announcement goes far enough. Jack Hawkins, whose daughter Harriet was stillborn at Nottingham City Hospital in April 2016 after a catalogue of errors, said that everything being suggested had been 'tried in some shape or form before and has not led to lasting change.' He said that he and other Nottingham families believe a full national statutory public inquiry is 'the only way to hold a number of powerful people and organisations to account for their failures that have led to state infanticide at a level not seen since the Second World War.' Fiona Winser-Ramm, whose baby Aliona Grace died as a result of a 'number of gross failures' in care at Leeds General Infirmary said that while today's announcement was a 'small step' it did not go far enough. While welcoming the Secretary of State's speech, a number of families affected by poor maternity care in Leeds said in a statement that a full independent inquiry, led by former midwife Donna Ockenden was 'essential to get to the full scale of cultural and leadership failings, raised parents and whistleblowers, over many years, and in last week's CQC report'. Speaking to journalists after the announcement, the Health Secretary stressed that he did not rule out a full public inquiry and was keeping the option open. But there was also a need to change things now. 'My priority is making sure that we drive improvements in maternity safety as rapidly as possible,' Streeting's recommendation on a statutory public inquiry would be 'in no small part determined by the findings of the rapid investigation'. Nor did the Health Secretary rule out or a more detailed investigation into Leeds's maternity services. 'I'm talking to Leeds families at the moment about what we do specifically at Leeds,' Streeting responded to questioning from the New Statesman. 'There are major concerns. We've obviously seen a combination of very brave family campaigners, great journalism, and now a damning CQC report. So, I think, given the size of that trust, you can understand my level of concern.' Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Wes Streeting insisted that even within the short timeframe of the rapid investigation, questions of how maternity services got into their current state – and, more importantly, why – would not be overlooked. And, he stressed, he was mindful that those let down by poor care wanted people held accountable. 'I think the proof of the pudding will be in the eating,' he said. 'Government more generally is struggling with quite a big question for our country, which is, 'how do you acknowledge state failure and how do you put it right without always having to reach for the public inquiry route?' But the challenge that we have as politicians – and victims have is – well, what are the alternatives? And that's something we're working through with families.' The Health Secretary spoke forcefully about the lack of accountability hitherto, and the failure of the health watchdogs who should have been keeping maternity services safe. 'It really is a national scandal,' he acknowledged. 'I think it's just utterly shameful that on top of the grief and trauma [families have] experienced, that they have to go into battle for an accurate and honest account of what happened and why.' The culture of the NHS had to change. 'What's the priority here? Is it really patients, or is it reputations?' Streeting posed. 'My priority is patients.' The Care Quality Commission, whose job it is to inspect maternity services and respond to safety concerns, needed to be 'rebuilt' as 'an effective regulator and guarantor of patient safety', the Health Secretary argued. 'One of the many things that's gone wrong in this space … is that the regulators are failing to discharge their duties effectively on behalf of the public.' Not only did this fail the public, it also left the government exposed. 'I'm supposed to be able to ask regulators to keep patients safe and to hold institutions to account,' Streeting explained. And yet ministers were increasingly having to take direct responsibility for these, 'because of a lack of capability and confidence in the regulators'. Ministers, he said, had been 'underwhelmed by the proposals that have that have come to us from the system itself for improvements in maternity services and care and safety.' The full terms of reference for the investigation will be agreed by the end of July, as will membership of a new National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which will be chaired by the Health Secretary. This will include experts and bereaved families. A final report will be completed by Christmas. But there are still many details of the urgent review to be confirmed. It's not known yet who will lead it, but Streeting confirmed that a shortlist was being put together that would be shared with families for their feedback. Donna Ockenden, the former midwife who led the investigation into maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford and is currently investigating Nottingham's maternity care, would 'definitely be involved'. It's also not confirmed which hospital trusts will be the focus of the urgent review, either, but Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust were all mentioned by the Secretary of State in his speech today. Leeds's maternity services were rated Inadequate by the Care Quality Commission on Friday after families had raised concerns about poor care for years. Within the next month, Sir Jim Mackey, head of NHS England, and Duncan Barton, the chief nursing officer, will meet representatives of the trusts 'of greatest concern'. The final list of trusts will be chosen according to various data sets held by the NHS, Wes Streeting told the media. It wouldn't be just the voices that shouted the loudest who were heard, especially given the inequalities that exists in maternity outcomes, where black women are between two and three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. 'I want to make sure that we are going out and finding people and talking to people who otherwise would not come forward and wouldn't feel that their voices would be heard,' Streeting said. 'And those are disproportionately working class, disproportionately black, disproportionately Asian.' There was a problem in maternity services 'right across the country', Streeting said bluntly. 'I think this is systemic and endemic.' In her address to doctors, Ranee Thakar, the President of RCOG, insisted that women's health need had been ignored for too long. It needed to be a national priority. 'When we get it right for women, we get it right for everyone,' she argued. In Wes Streeting, it seems there is a health secretary who fully appreciates that: one who is truly beginning to comprehend the scale of scandal that is maternity care in England and who is honest about the mistakes made, not just by others, but by him and his own government. Women, their babies, and their partners have had to wait for too long for this. But Streeting is surely right that this is 'the conversation we need'. A conversation that must lead to answers, change, and accountability. [See also: The trauma ward] Related
The Independent
23-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Streeting launches investigation into maternity services after families ‘gaslit'
A national investigation into 'systemic' failures in NHS maternity care has been launched by the Government after families were 'gaslit' in their search for the truth, the Health Secretary has said. Wes Streeting said that 'up and down' the country 'maternity units are failing, hospitals are failing, trusts are failing, regulators are failing' and there was 'too much passing the buck'. He stopped short of launching a statutory public inquiry, despite it being the wish of some bereaved families, but said he would keep 'that option open'. He said: 'I think there is a broad consensus that having a rapid investigation is the right thing to do, even where families are pushing for a public inquiry to follow because what I don't think any of those families calling for a public inquiry want to see is action stalled or delayed in pursuit of a public inquiry, or while a public inquiry would take time to run a report.' Mr Streeting, who has been meeting families who have lost babies to poor maternity care, told the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) conference in London: 'Over the last year, I've been wrestling with how we tackle problems in maternity and neonatal units, and I've come to the realisation that while there is action we can take now, we have to acknowledge that this has become systemic. 'It's not just a few bad units. Up and down the country, maternity units are failing, hospitals are failing, trusts are failing, regulators are failing. 'There's too much obfuscation, too much passing the buck and giving lip service.' Mr Streeting apologised on behalf of the NHS, having met families in Nottingham and around the country whose children have died or been injured. Senior midwife Donna Ockenden is currently examining how hundreds of babies died or were injured in the care of Nottingham University Hospitals Trust. Mr Streeting said: 'All of them have had to fight for truth and justice, they describe being ignored, gaslit, lied to, manipulated and damaged further by the inability for a trust to simply be honest with them that something has gone wrong. 'I want to say publicly how sorry I am, sorry for what the NHS has put them through, sorry for the way they've been treated since by the state and sorry that we haven't put this right yet, because these families are owed more than an apology. They're owed change, they're owed accountability and they're owed the truth.' The Health Secretary said risk is 'considerably higher' than it should be for women and babies because of a 'crisis' in maternity and neo-natal services. He added: 'Within the past 15 years, we've seen appalling scandals that blew the lid on issues ranging from care, safety, culture and oversight: Shrewsbury, Telford, East Kent, Nottingham. 'The last government responded with initiatives like Better Births in 2016 and the maternity transformation programme. 'But, despite improvements on some metrics, inequalities in maternal and neo-natal outcomes have become more visible, not less. The rate of late maternal deaths has been consistently rising. 'Babies of black ethnicity are twice as likely to be stillborn than babies of white ethnicity, and black women are still two to three times more likely to die during pregnancy or shortly after birth than white women. 'Tragically, that gap is closing slightly, but partly because more white women are dying in childbirth.' Other high-profile scandals had deepened the public's mistrust in the state, Mr Streeting continued. 'From the Horizon Post Office scandal to the infected blood scandal, the degradation of responsibility and trust in our institutions is compounding a cynicism and malaise at the ability of British politics to deliver for people. 'This is a dangerous place for a country to be. 'If we do not admit the scale of the failure in maternity services, we're condemning ourselves to etching that mistrust deeper. 'If we cannot admit openly that we as institutions and as a state got this wrong, we'll never be able to fix it or rebuild that trust. 'Too many children have died because of state failure and I will not allow it to continue under my watch.' The new investigation will consist of two parts. The first will investigate trusts of greatest concern at the moment, including Leeds, Gloucester, Mid and South Essex and Sussex, 'to hold them to account for improvement', Mr Streeting said. He added: 'I'm currently discussing with Leeds families the best way to grip the challenges brought to light in that trust by their campaigning, reports in the media and the latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) report, and I'll be ordering an investigation into nine specific cases identified by families in Sussex …' The second part of the investigation will be a 'system-wide' look at maternity and neonatal care, uniting lessons from past maternity inquiries to create one 'clear set of actions' designed to improve national NHS care. A National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by Mr Streeting, has also been set up, made up of experts and bereaved families. The investigation will begin this summer and report back by December. A new digital system will be rolled out to all maternity services by November to flag potential safety concerns in trusts, while an anti-discrimination programme to tackle inequalities is being launched. Asked about the cost of the review, Mr Streeting said: 'I suspect it will be somewhat less than the enormous costs we pay in clinical negligence claims. 'Probably the most shocking statistic in this area is that we are paying out more in clinical negligence for maternity failures than we are spending on maternity services. That's how bad things are. 'So, putting together a review team, undertaking the level of analytical work required to produce a really good, high-quality evidence-based report is a drop in the ocean compared to the price of failure.' Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said: 'Despite the hard work of staff, too many women are experiencing unacceptable maternity care and families continue to be let down by the NHS when they need us most. 'This rapid national investigation must mark a line in the sand for maternity care – setting out one set of clear actions for NHS leaders to ensure high quality care for all. 'Transparency will be key to understanding variation and fixing poor care – by shining a spotlight on the areas of greatest failure we can hold failing trusts to account. 'Each year, over half a million babies are born under our care and maternity safety rightly impacts public trust in the NHS – so we must act immediately to improve outcomes for the benefit of mothers, babies, families and staff.' The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said maternity services are 'at, or even beyond, breaking point'. RCM chief executive Gill Walton said: 'Every woman and family should leave maternity and neonatal services whole, happy and healthy. 'Yet we know that, for far too many, that isn't their experience. 'Systemic failings and a lack of attention to the warning signs have let those families down and let down the hardworking staff who are trying so hard to provide the care they deserve. 'Everyone involved in maternity services: the midwifery community, obstetricians, anaesthetists, sonographers and, of course, the women and families in their care; knows that maternity services are at, or even beyond, breaking point. 'This renewed focus and commitment by the Health Secretary to deliver change is welcome, and we will do everything we can to support him in doing so.' Professor Ranee Thakar, president of the RCOG, said: 'The maternity workforce is on its knees, with many now leaving the profession.' She said that 'for years, maternity units have had too few staff, too little time for training and lacked modern equipment and facilities, resulting in women and babies being harmed.' She urged the Government to 'not to lose sight of funding and workforce shortages within this'.
North Wales Chronicle
23-06-2025
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Government launches national investigation into NHS maternity services
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that 'up and down' the country 'maternity units are failing, hospitals are failing, trusts are failing, regulators are failing' and there was 'too much passing the buck'. Mr Streeting, who has been meeting families who have lost babies to poor maternity care, told the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) conference in London: 'Over the last year, I've been wrestling with how we tackle problems in maternity and neonatal units, and I've come to the realisation that while there is action we can take now, we have to acknowledge that this has become systemic. 'It's not just a few bad units. Up and down the country, maternity units are failing, hospitals are failing, trusts are failing, regulators are failing. 'There's too much obfuscation, too much passing the buck and giving lip service.' Mr Streeting apologised on behalf of the NHS, having met families in Nottingham and around the country whose children have died or been injured. Senior midwife Donna Ockenden is currently examining how hundreds of babies died or were injured in the care of Nottingham University Hospitals Trust. Mr Streeting said: 'All of them have had to fight for truth and justice, they describe being ignored, gaslit, lied to, manipulated and damaged further by the inability for a trust to simply be honest with them that something has gone wrong. 'I want to say publicly how sorry I am, sorry for what the NHS has put them through, sorry for the way they've been treated since by the state and sorry that we haven't put this right yet, because these families are owed more than an apology. They're owed change, they're owed accountability and they're owed the truth.' The Health Secretary said risk is 'considerably higher' than it should be for women and babies because of a 'crisis' in maternity and neo-natal services. He said giving birth carries risk, but 'that risk is considerably higher than it should be because of the state of the crisis in our maternity and neonatal services.' He added: 'Within the past 15 years, we've seen appalling scandals that blew the lid on issues ranging from care, safety, culture and oversight – Shrewsbury, Telford, East Kent, Nottingham. 'The last government responded with initiatives like Better Births in 2016 and the maternity transformation programme. 'But, despite improvements on some metrics, inequalities in maternal and neo-natal outcomes have become more visible, not less. The rate of late maternal deaths has been consistently rising. 'Babies of black ethnicity are twice as likely to be stillborn than babies of white ethnicity, and black women are still two to three times more likely to die during pregnancy or shortly after birth than white women. 'Tragically, that gap is closing slightly, but partly because more white women are dying in childbirth.' Other high-profile scandals had deepened the public's mistrust in the state, Mr Streeting continued. He said: 'From the Horizon Post Office scandal to the infected blood scandal, the degradation of responsibility and trust in our institutions is compounding a cynicism and malaise at the ability of British politics to deliver for people. 'This is a dangerous place for a country to be. 'If we do not admit the scale of the failure in maternity services, we're condemning ourselves to etching that mistrust deeper. 'If we cannot admit openly that we as institutions and as a state got this wrong, we'll never be able to fix it or rebuild that trust. 'Too many children have died because of state failure and I will not allow it to continue under my watch.' The new investigation will consist of two parts. The first will investigate trusts of greatest concern at the moment, including Leeds, Gloucester, Mid and South Essex and Sussex, 'to hold them to account for improvement', Mr Streeting said. He added: 'I'm currently discussing with Leeds families the best way to grip the challenges brought to light in that trust by their campaigning, reports in the media and the latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) report, and I'll be ordering an investigation into nine specific cases identified by families in Sussex…' The second part of the investigation will be a 'system-wide' look at maternity and neonatal care, uniting lessons from past maternity inquiries to create one 'clear set of actions' designed to improve national NHS care. A National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by Mr Streeting, has also been set up, made up of experts and bereaved families. The investigation will begin this summer and report back by December. A new digital system will be rolled out to all maternity services by November to flag potential safety concerns in trusts. An anti-discrimination programme to tackle inequalities in care for black, Asian, and other communities is also being launched. Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said: 'Despite the hard work of staff, too many women are experiencing unacceptable maternity care and families continue to be let down by the NHS when they need us most. 'This rapid national investigation must mark a line in the sand for maternity care – setting out one set of clear actions for NHS leaders to ensure high quality care for all. 'Transparency will be key to understanding variation and fixing poor care – by shining a spotlight on the areas of greatest failure we can hold failing trusts to account. 'Each year, over half a million babies are born under our care and maternity safety rightly impacts public trust in the NHS – so we must act immediately to improve outcomes for the benefit of mothers, babies, families and staff.' The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said maternity services are 'at, or even beyond, breaking point'. RCM chief executive Gill Walton said: 'Every woman and family should leave maternity and neonatal services whole, happy and healthy. 'Yet we know that, for far too many, that isn't their experience. 'Systemic failings and a lack of attention to the warning signs have let those families down and let down the hardworking staff who are trying so hard to provide the care they deserve. 'Everyone involved in maternity services – the midwifery community, obstetricians, anaesthetists, sonographers and, of course, the women and families in their care – knows that maternity services are at, or even beyond, breaking point. 'This renewed focus and commitment by the Health Secretary to deliver change is welcome, and we will do everything we can to support him in doing so.' Professor Ranee Thakar, president of the RCOG, said: 'The maternity workforce is on its knees, with many now leaving the profession.' She said that 'for years, maternity units have had too few staff, too little time for training and lacked modern equipment and facilities, resulting in women and babies being harmed.' She urged the Government to 'not to lose sight of funding and workforce shortages within this.'
South Wales Argus
23-06-2025
- Health
- South Wales Argus
Streeting launches investigation into maternity services after families ‘gaslit'
Wes Streeting said that 'up and down' the country 'maternity units are failing, hospitals are failing, trusts are failing, regulators are failing' and there was 'too much passing the buck'. Mr Streeting, who has been meeting families who have lost babies to poor maternity care, told the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) conference in London: 'Over the last year, I've been wrestling with how we tackle problems in maternity and neonatal units, and I've come to the realisation that while there is action we can take now, we have to acknowledge that this has become systemic. 'It's not just a few bad units. Up and down the country, maternity units are failing, hospitals are failing, trusts are failing, regulators are failing. 'There's too much obfuscation, too much passing the buck and giving lip service.' Mr Streeting apologised on behalf of the NHS, having met families in Nottingham and around the country whose children have died or been injured. Senior midwife Donna Ockenden is currently examining how hundreds of babies died or were injured in the care of Nottingham University Hospitals Trust. Mr Streeting said: 'All of them have had to fight for truth and justice, they describe being ignored, gaslit, lied to, manipulated and damaged further by the inability for a trust to simply be honest with them that something has gone wrong. 'I want to say publicly how sorry I am, sorry for what the NHS has put them through, sorry for the way they've been treated since by the state and sorry that we haven't put this right yet, because these families are owed more than an apology. They're owed change, they're owed accountability and they're owed the truth.' The Health Secretary said risk is 'considerably higher' than it should be for women and babies because of a 'crisis' in maternity and neo-natal services. He added: 'Within the past 15 years, we've seen appalling scandals that blew the lid on issues ranging from care, safety, culture and oversight: Shrewsbury, Telford, East Kent, Nottingham. 'The last government responded with initiatives like Better Births in 2016 and the maternity transformation programme. 'But, despite improvements on some metrics, inequalities in maternal and neo-natal outcomes have become more visible, not less. The rate of late maternal deaths has been consistently rising. 'Babies of black ethnicity are twice as likely to be stillborn than babies of white ethnicity, and black women are still two to three times more likely to die during pregnancy or shortly after birth than white women. 'Tragically, that gap is closing slightly, but partly because more white women are dying in childbirth.' Other high-profile scandals had deepened the public's mistrust in the state, Mr Streeting continued. 'From the Horizon Post Office scandal to the infected blood scandal, the degradation of responsibility and trust in our institutions is compounding a cynicism and malaise at the ability of British politics to deliver for people. 'This is a dangerous place for a country to be. 'If we do not admit the scale of the failure in maternity services, we're condemning ourselves to etching that mistrust deeper. 'If we cannot admit openly that we as institutions and as a state got this wrong, we'll never be able to fix it or rebuild that trust. 'Too many children have died because of state failure and I will not allow it to continue under my watch.' The new investigation will consist of two parts. The first will investigate trusts of greatest concern at the moment, including Leeds, Gloucester, Mid and South Essex and Sussex, 'to hold them to account for improvement', Mr Streeting said. He added: 'I'm currently discussing with Leeds families the best way to grip the challenges brought to light in that trust by their campaigning, reports in the media and the latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) report, and I'll be ordering an investigation into nine specific cases identified by families in Sussex …' The second part of the investigation will be a 'system-wide' look at maternity and neonatal care, uniting lessons from past maternity inquiries to create one 'clear set of actions' designed to improve national NHS care. A National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by Mr Streeting, has also been set up, made up of experts and bereaved families. The investigation will begin this summer and report back by December. A new digital system will be rolled out to all maternity services by November to flag potential safety concerns in trusts, while an anti-discrimination programme to tackle inequalities is being launched. Asked about the cost of the review, Mr Streeting said: 'I suspect it will be somewhat less than the enormous costs we pay in clinical negligence claims. 'Probably the most shocking statistic in this area is that we are paying out more in clinical negligence for maternity failures than we are spending on maternity services. That's how bad things are. 'So, putting together a review team, undertaking the level of analytical work required to produce a really good, high-quality evidence-based report is a drop in the ocean compared to the price of failure.' Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said: 'Despite the hard work of staff, too many women are experiencing unacceptable maternity care and families continue to be let down by the NHS when they need us most. 'This rapid national investigation must mark a line in the sand for maternity care – setting out one set of clear actions for NHS leaders to ensure high quality care for all. 'Transparency will be key to understanding variation and fixing poor care – by shining a spotlight on the areas of greatest failure we can hold failing trusts to account. 'Each year, over half a million babies are born under our care and maternity safety rightly impacts public trust in the NHS – so we must act immediately to improve outcomes for the benefit of mothers, babies, families and staff.' The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said maternity services are 'at, or even beyond, breaking point'. RCM chief executive Gill Walton said: 'Every woman and family should leave maternity and neonatal services whole, happy and healthy. 'Yet we know that, for far too many, that isn't their experience. 'Systemic failings and a lack of attention to the warning signs have let those families down and let down the hardworking staff who are trying so hard to provide the care they deserve. 'Everyone involved in maternity services: the midwifery community, obstetricians, anaesthetists, sonographers and, of course, the women and families in their care; knows that maternity services are at, or even beyond, breaking point. 'This renewed focus and commitment by the Health Secretary to deliver change is welcome, and we will do everything we can to support him in doing so.' Professor Ranee Thakar, president of the RCOG, said: 'The maternity workforce is on its knees, with many now leaving the profession.' She said that 'for years, maternity units have had too few staff, too little time for training and lacked modern equipment and facilities, resulting in women and babies being harmed.' She urged the Government to 'not to lose sight of funding and workforce shortages within this'.
