Maternity care failings 'much worse' than anticipated, says head of national review

Hungry mothers, dirty wards and poor care are blighting England's maternity services while staff receive death threats for working in some units, according to a new report.

Baroness Amos, who is chairing a review into maternity care, said that what she has seen so far "has been much worse" than she'd anticipated.

Some women had felt blamed for their baby's death, while others suffered from a lack of empathy, care or apology when things had gone wrong, with poor and black mothers often at the end of discriminatory services.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who set up the review, external, said "the systemic failures causing preventable tragedies cannot be ignored".

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Source: BBC News, 9 December 2025