Grieving families who lost babies due to NHS failings hit out at maternity investigation
Families "enduring everlasting grief" after losing babies due to NHS failings are being sidelined by a rapid review into maternity services, a campaign group has claimed.
One woman, whose daughter died in 2022, described how victims are forced to "compress" their experiences into eight minutes, with some re-traumatised by having to choose the most important reasons for their babies' deaths.
The Maternity Safety Alliance has renewed its call for a statutory inquiry into NHS maternity services, urging the Government to "abandon this performative approach".
However, a spokesperson for the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation (NMNI) argued that its rapid review would allow improvements to be made faster than would be possible with a statutory inquiry.
The probe is being led by Baroness Valerie Amos and will examine 12 NHS trusts, with a report due in the spring.
The Maternity Safety Alliance has published fresh criticism of the process, claiming the timescale is “compressed” and the involvement of families is “limited to sharing their experiences rather than participating in the decision-making processes”.
Source: The Independent, 6 February 2026