Inquiry chair: No time to ‘co-produce’ with families

Families have been told they cannot “co-produce” an investigation into how they were failed by maternity services because of the “timetable given” by government.

Several of the families who have been in talks over the Amos investigation told HSJ they were losing faith in the process.

They are also concerned about what they say is a failure so far to involve Donna Ockenden, a senior midwife and lead of previous maternity reviews.

Wes Streeting announced the “rapid, national investigation” in June, saying it would be “co-produced to include the families who have suffered the worst injustices of maternity care”.

But in a letter to Lauren Caulfield, who gave birth to a stillborn daughter at Leeds General Infirmary in 2022, inquiry chair Baroness Amos said: “I have undertaken to consult as widely as possible. I regret that co-production is not possible within the timetable given for a rapid investigation.”

Baroness Amos was appointed in the summer and is expected to report by the end of this year.

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Source: HSJ, 16 October 2025