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Found 500 results
  1. Content Article
    C-sections are a common procedure in maternity care, but higher rates of emergency caesareans can be a sign of systemic issues. In this article the authors analyse a chart presenting Health Episode Statistic (HES) 2023/24 data to explore the intersection of ethnicity and socio-economic deprivation in shaping the likelihood of emergency C-sections in England. They found that there were higher rates of emergency C-sections among women and people giving birth from Black and Asian ethnic groups than from the White group, regardless of deprivation quantile. This data adds to a growing body of evidence that maternal health outcomes in the UK are not equal. 
  2. News Article
    The family of a girl left brain-damaged at birth have agreed to accept £28m in damages after the NHS trust involved admitted that its mistakes led to the tragedy. Barking, Havering and Redbridge university hospitals NHS trust failed to monitor the baby’s heart rate while her mother was in labour or ask an obstetrician to review the case, either of which might have led to the girl being born in a healthy condition. The girl, who is six, suffered severe hypoxia-ischaemia – loss of oxygen to her brain – while she was being born at Queen’s hospital in Romford, east London, in July 2019. That left her badly disabled. She has epilepsy, experiences unpredictable seizures and is expected to lose mobility throughout her life. She will need lifelong care to help with her cognitive and language impairments. She will also need constant supervision because she has no awareness of danger and is overly friendly with strangers. The girl’s mother demanded urgent action by ministers and NHS bosses to overhaul maternity care, which is in the spotlight after a series of scandals at trusts across England. “My daughter is thriving and doing well. But it’s impossible for me to forget that I was robbed of the precious experience of most mothers giving birth by the horror of what happened to us,” said the mother. Neither she nor her daughter can be identified for legal reasons. “Seven years on, I’m still deeply affected by seeing the hospital’s name crop up in the press regarding tragedies for other families and their babies. This is despite the repeated promises of the government and endless reviews into maternity safety. Surely someone must take the bull by the horns and take action to change things.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 4 June 2026
  3. News Article
    A quarter of all babies in England are now delivered by emergency caesarean operations, BBC analysis shows - marking a significant rise over the last five years. The unplanned surgeries have increased by eight percentage points, while the rate of elective caesareans has also increased. At the same time, the rate of vaginal births without instruments has fallen - from more than half of all deliveries to 43%. Prof Marian Knight, director of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, which researches the care of women and babies in pregnancy and birth, says the rise represents a "total change in how women give birth" in England, and that it has not been replicated in other European countries. The NHS does not publish data on why an emergency C-section is performed, and experts say there is no single, clear explanation for the increase. However, some have told the BBC they are concerned a culture of fear in maternity units and among pregnant women is driving up the number of procedures. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which represents maternity doctors, says pressure on staff and operating theatres means the system is "really struggling" to meet the increased demand. NHS England says "decisions are made by considering individual circumstances and clinical advice to ensure the safest and most appropriate approach for each birth". Read full story Source: BBC News, 5 June 2026
  4. News Article
    A maternity service has been given a “good” rating by the Care Quality Commission, despite inspectors finding midwives being asked to work back-to-back shifts with no sleep breaks. The report published today rates both of Oxford University Hospitals’ units – at the John Radcliffe Hospital and the Horton General Hospital – as “good” overall. This is despite its finding several safety concerns at the main site, John Radcliffe. OUH is also one of 12 trusts under examination by a government-commissioned maternity review, amid concerns raised by campaigners about standards and traumatic births. On a visit in October, Care Quality Comission inspectors found seven breaches of four of its “fundamental standards” at the John Radcliffe, and rated it “requires improvement” for safety. Inspectors found inadequate staffing levels and unsafe working hours. They reported: “Community staff raised concerns about the on-call system because there were times when they were called to work a 12-hour night shift after working a day shift. “Managers redeployed community staff to backfill hospital shifts overnight during busy periods. Which resulted in extended periods without rest. Staff told us this meant they were awake for more than 24 hours, which they felt impacted their wellbeing and patient safety.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 4 June 2026
  5. News Article
    The midwife's notes were short and to the point. The three letters - "FOH" - that she had written on a whiteboard next to names of heavily pregnant women were not there to alert colleagues to women having a specific medical condition or requiring a certain type of care. Instead, they were an acronym for a three-word offensive statement signalling they wanted the women to leave the maternity unit run by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH). The "F", a swear word. The "O", standing for "OFF". The "H", short for "HOME". The acronym was described in a 2018 resignation letter from another member of staff, now seen by BBC Panorama, raising concerns about attitudes within the unit. In the same letter, another midwife was reported to have advised colleagues to get pregnant women, who had arrived worried they were going into labour, to go home with the advice: "Don't be too kind, she'll keep coming back." The Nottingham trust is currently at the centre of the largest maternity inquiry in the history of the NHS - looking at care provided to about 2,500 families between 2012 and 2025. Led by senior midwife, Donna Ockenden, the inquiry is due to publish its findings on 24 June. "Nottingham thought that there was a Nottingham way, that they were some kind of superior NHS trust compared to others," Ockenden tells Panorama. Read full story Source: BBC News, 1 June 2026
  6. Event
    The World Health Organization (WHO) are pleased to invite you to the fourth webinar in a five-part global webinar series on the implementation of the World Patient Safety Day Goals for safe care for every newborn and every child. This webinar will bring together global experts and practitioners to discuss practical solutions and evidence to reduce risks for small and sick newborns The webinar will focus on: Why reducing risks is essential for the safety of small and sick newborns. How Goal 5 can be implemented in practice at the point of care. What health care workers, leaders, managers, and policymakers can do to reduce risks for small and sick newborns. This webinar series is co-hosted by the World Health Organization, the International Pediatric Association, and the Child Health Task Force. Register
  7. News Article
    Families affected by the Nottingham maternity scandal have urged the newly appointed health secretary to meet with them before a critical report is published next month. The major review of care at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, led by former midwife Donna Ockenden, encompasses nearly 2,500 families whose lives have been affected by the deaths or injuries of hundreds of babies. The inquiry is the largest in NHS history and has been ongoing for more than three years. In a letter sent on Thursday, the affected families stressed to James Murray, who took over from Wes Streeting last week, that listening to their experiences "must remain at the heart of this process". They wrote: “We believe it is vital that you hear directly from those affected before the review concludes, and we ask that you come to Nottingham to meet families, listen to our experiences, and understand the reality behind this report before the findings are shared with Parliament and the public.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 21 May 2026
  8. Content Article
    A learning disability is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how individuals process information, often impacting skills such as reading, communication, and memory. While many people with learning disabilities have average or above-average intelligence, they may require tailored support to navigate healthcare effectively. Maternity care should be responsive to every woman’s needs. This Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigation (MNSI) safety spotlight focuses on mothers with a learning disability. Consider these safety prompts: How does your service record that a woman has a learning disability and how it affects her day-to-day care needs? What are the barriers to offering every woman with a learning disability the opportunity to complete a health and care passport? Could tools such as the health and care passport be used more routinely to capture communication preferences, concerns and support needs? How does your service ensure key information about learning needs and social complexities are consistently shared in discharge summaries? Have your staff been supported to undertake the government approved Oliver McGowan mandatory training on Learning Disability and Autism?
  9. News Article
    Midwifes, health works and mothers from across Africa and the UK have held a protest outside the World Health Assembly in Geneva to end the scandal of women giving birth in dangerous clinics and maternity wards without clean water. Frontline health workers and mothers from Tanzania, Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana and the UK beat drums, waved blue fabric and held placards calling on world leaders to take action. Silviana Swallo, a midwife from Tanzania said: "I can't speak about midwifery care without adequate water supply. Water is health for mothers, newborns and health care providers." Her colleague Christina Mhando, WaterAid Tanzania's head of policy, said: "The solutions exist, they're simple and cheap. We just need them to listen and act." The protest was organised as part of WaterAid's "Time to Deliver" campaign, which The Independent has worked on, that calls on world leaders to use the upcoming United Nations (UN) Water Conference in December to ensure that every health centre worldwide has clean water, decent sanitation and proper hygiene facilities. Read full story Source: The Independent, 19 May 2026
  10. News Article
    Women and families failed by maternity services will be better heard and their experiences will drive lasting improvements to care, as Michelle Welsh MP has been appointed as the government’s first Maternity Advisor. Welsh will work directly with families, the government, the NHS and key maternity organisations to push for better, safer care for mothers, babies and families. She will meet regularly with ministers to share evidence and advice, and work with families and communities to bring a wide range of voices into the heart of the government’s action to improve maternity services. There will be a special focus on those from communities that face the greatest health inequalities. Health and Social Care Secretary James Murray said: "Far too many women and families have been let down by maternity services, and that must change. "Michelle Welsh brings exactly the commitment and expertise this role demands, and I know she will be a powerful champion for the women and families. "Today marks a significant step forward in our determination to make maternity care safer for every mother and baby in England." Michelle Welsh, MP and Maternity Advisor said: "I am honoured to have been appointed as the National Maternity Advisor to the Government. "This role is deeply personal to me. Like far too many women across this country, I know what it feels like to come through childbirth carrying both physical and emotional scars. That experience has strengthened my determination to fight for safer, more compassionate maternity care for every family. "As National Maternity Advisor, I will work tirelessly to drive forward meaningful reform focused on safer staffing, stronger accountability, listening to women, tackling inequalities and ensuring lessons are learned when failures happen. "This is about rebuilding trust and creating a maternity system that is not only safer, but kinder too." Read full press release Source: Department of Health and Care, 19 May 2026
  11. News Article
    More than 100 maternity staff are taking legal action against a hospital trust after being exposed to what they say were "hazardous" levels of nitrous oxide. The staff, who include midwives and healthcare assistants, all worked at Basildon Hospital in Essex between 2018 and 2023. Symptoms including fatigue, anxiety, headaches and "brain fog" were reported. The trust that runs the hospital has said it "should have acted faster to address the issues". The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust has already paid out £89,000 in settlements over claims staff were exposed to "excessive and foreseeably dangerous" levels of Entonox, which is often called gas and air. A total of 141 claims have been received, according to the NHS. Entonox is a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen that is used as pain relief for women giving birth. According to the claimants, levels of nitrous oxide can build up quickly in maternity units with poor ventilation. The gas enters the atmosphere when birthing mothers exhale, when gas lines are leaky, and when cannisters of nitrous oxide are opened and connected to equipment. Maternity staff were exposed to gas levels up to 30 times higher than the legal workplace exposure limit, an internal hospital report found. For people giving birth, the NHS says gas and air is "generally very safe", and side effects are not expected until after patients have used it for longer than six hours. Read full story Source: BBC News, 18 May 2026
  12. Content Article
    The Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigation (MNSI) has reviewed 20 investigations into the cooling of term babies across England. The findings show that national guidance on continuous temperature monitoring during cooling was not followed in half of cases. Ensuring continuous temperature monitoring during newborn cooling is an important area of learning identified through our neonatal investigations. A review of 20 investigations found opportunities to strengthen practice in line with national guidance in half of cases. The new MNSI safety briefing draws on what we have learned through our investigations and aims to support the safe care of babies undergoing cooling in maternity and neonatal settings. The briefing shares our evidence and insight on this topic and provides prompts for maternity and neonatal providers to consider: Whether local guidance on cooling aligns with national guidance, including when to commence passive cooling and the use of rectal temperature probes. Whether staff have the training and equipment they need to initiate cooling safely and consistently.
  13. Content Article
    This Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigation (MNSI) safety spotlight shares what they found regarding nitrous oxide decommissioning and offers prompts to help providers keep staff informed and equipment checks consistent.
  14. Content Article
    A new guidance supplement has been published by the Intensive Care Society that aims to improve the safety and quality of care when critically unwell pregnant or recently pregnant women are moved between areas within one hospital or moved to a different hospital (transfers). It builds on existing guidance and acknowledges some important additional factors that need to be considered around the time of the transfer. This is the first time that transfer guidance has been published by the Intensive Care Society relating specifically to pregnant or recently pregnant women.
  15. News Article
    Hard-won successes in efforts to stop women and babies dying in childbirth have faced a serious setback with recent cuts to foreign aid – and the trend is now reversing in some countries, new figures show. Significant progress in tackling preventable maternal mortality across the globe had seen the rate decline by 40% in the last two decades. However, the latest data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests this progress has slowed in recent years, and recent aid cuts by the US, as well as other countries including Britain, will start to reverse those crucial gains. With Donald Trump in particular slashing America’s foreign assistance programmes by 57%t last year, global aid fell by 23% cent in 2025 compared to 2024, and is projected to drop by a further 5.8% in 2026. Maternal mortality is particularly acute in parts of Africa, and is already playing out in the Central African Republic, which has the second-highest rate of neonatal deaths globally, according to the UN. Monica Ferro, head of the United Nations Population Fund’s London office, said that the work over the last 20 years had given the world “hope that finally the world would be on track to reach zero preventable maternal deaths”. “We know that when funding is cut, services are shut down and women die. It is that simple. It may sound cruel, but it is that simple, and we have the evidence to prove it.” “It is very disappointing. The women and girls who are losing access to services will not forgive us for promising them a world with more dignity and then failing them because funding is being withdrawn.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 10 May 2026
  16. Content Article
    Following the publication of their 2025 to 2027 strategy in December 2025, Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations (MNSI) shared more about their work and future ambitions with stakeholders across maternity and neonatal services. The event featured four presentations covering: Structured Perinatal Analysis Report Coding (SPARC) explored how we use coded, thematic data from MNSI investigations to identify patterns and support learning at both local and national level. Culture of Organisations and its iMpact on PatientS' Safety (COMPASS) focused on how we measure and support improvement in safety culture across maternity and neonatal services. Health Equity Warning Score and Health Equity Assessment and Resource Toolkit (HEART) looked at how we identify and address health inequalities through our investigations, ensuring that the findings we generate reflect the experiences of all families. Our investigations and the wider stakeholder environment set our work in context, exploring how MNSI investigations connect with the broader landscape of maternity and neonatal safety improvement. If you missed the event, recordings are available on the MNSI website.
  17. Content Article
    Implementing safe and effective handover in maternity and gynaecology is now live. The consultation is open for comment for 4 weeks (closing date: Thursday 4 June). Full details on how to provide feedback on this paper are available on the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecology (ROCG) website. Peer review is a vital stage in guidance development and aims to ensure that the draft content accurately reflects and explains the latest high-quality evidence and best practice. In order to achieve this, RCOG invite a wide cross-section of stakeholders to provide comments on an individual basis.
  18. News Article
    The NHS is introducing new clinical standards for maternity services in England, including the rollout of the Maternal Outcomes Signal System (MOSS), a digital tool designed to rapidly analyse routine maternity data and flag emerging safety concerns MOSS will enable maternity teams to spot potential safety issues requiring urgent attention, with findings published every six months to ensure trusts take action to reduce risks. The NHS has allocated up to £5 million to trusts this year to implement the maternal care bundle, which includes upgrading facilities with direct telephone lines for ambulance crews and new monitoring systems for pregnant women. The new standards, part of the NHS’s maternal care bundle, aim to reduce maternal deaths caused by conditions such as blood clots, strokes, cardiac disease, suicide, sepsis, obstetric haemorrhage, and pre-eclampsia, which account for 52% of maternal deaths. They include early risk assessments for venous thromboembolism, tailored care plans for women with epilepsy, and routine mental health assessments. Kate Brintworth, chief midwifery officer for England, said: “Every death during or after pregnancy is a tragedy, especially when differences in care may have changed the outcome. We still see symptoms of serious medical problems being missed, especially for Black and Asian women. By setting out these clinical standards and holding hospitals to account, we can significantly reduce avoidable deaths and prevent future tragedies.” Read full story Source: UK Authority, 1 May 2026
  19. News Article
    A trust whose maternity care is under scrutiny is launching a review of all stillbirths last year, it has confirmed to HSJ. Sandwell and West Birmingham Trust (SWBT) confirmed it was due to begin a review of all 2025 cases. This will include a “comprehensive” review of care provided to identify “themes and learning”. It will also examine the reviews that staff carried out at the time of the stillbirths – a process which uses the national perinatal mortality review tool (PMRT). There have been concerns about whether those reviews were carried out properly at SWBT. The new review will be led and hosted by SWBT, but with experts from NHS England, and clinicians from other trusts in the local maternity and neonatal system (LMNS), taking part. It is the latest in a string of reviews to examine maternity care at SWBT, including the ongoing national investigation by Baroness Amos. The trust’s perinatal mortality has been flagged multiple times as an outlier, but it improved in the most recent data. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 24 April 2026
  20. News Article
    The NHS has announced every maternity service in England will have to upend clinical standards to reduce the number of women who die during or after pregnancy. Increasing numbers of women have been reported to be dying during pregnancy or in the weeks after giving birth. According to the latest official data, there were 252 maternal deaths from 2022 to 2024 – 20% higher than the rates from 2009 to 2011. This is the equivalent of 12.8 deaths for every 100,000 women giving birth. NHS England's chief midwife Kate Brintworth (CMO) told Sky News that, while improvements were being made, "none of us think care is in the right place". "We don't think that things are good enough," she said. "It's a terrible anguish to lose a child," she added. "I think it's one of the worst things that can happen to a human, and our responsibility as leaders in maternity is to make sure those families don't experience that anguish." Ms Brintworth hopes today's announcements will ensure avoidable deaths are "significantly" reduced. The Maternity Safety Alliance, a campaign group, said it was "alarmed" that Ms Brintworth's response to the data suggested "a lack of urgency, accountability and meaningful action" to the "long known and completely avoidable harm and death that is happening everyday in our maternity services". Read full story Source: Sky News, 23 April 2026
  21. News Article
    Bereaved families impacted by the Nottingham maternity scandal have called on Wes Streeting to remove a senior medic from a national taskforce whose appointment they said was “deeply distressing”. They have alleged Dr Stephen Wardle has a “clear and unavoidable conflict of interest” and his appointment to the national maternity taskforce was a “significant failure of judgment” by ministers. Dr Wardle is providing his expertise to the taskforce, established as part of Baroness Valerie Amos’ national review, in his capacity as president of the British Association of Perinatal Medicine. However, he has also been a consultant neonatologist at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust since 2001, the provider where senior midwife Donna Ockenden is investigating more than 2,500 cases of harm since April 2012. Now, in a letter to the Department of Health and Social Care, shared with HSJ, the Nottingham Affected Families group is calling for his removal because of his longstanding senior position at NUH. They have also flagged their concerns with BAPM. The family letter states: “This appointment feels profoundly inappropriate and deeply distressing to the families who have suffered harm, loss, and trauma as part of what has been widely described as the largest maternity scandal in NHS history. “It is our belief that this demonstrates a significant failure of judgment, sensitivity, and respect for those most affected. “Dr Wardle held and still holds a senior leadership position within neonatal services at NUH during the period in which serious and systemic failings in maternity and neonatal care were occurring. It adds: “As such, we believe this represents a clear and unavoidable conflict of interest. We believe Dr Wardle cannot be relied upon to identify harm, toxic culture, deception, and unsafe care within his own organisation, [therefore] it is difficult to understand how he can be entrusted with identifying and addressing these same issues at a national level.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 24 April 2026
  22. News Article
    A midwife who broke down in tears at the inquest of a baby who was delivered “blue and floppy” said an ambulance should have been called almost an hour-and-a-half before the birth. Poppy Hope Lomas was seven days old when she died on 26 October 2022 following complications during a “high-risk” home birth that her mother said she was encouraged to have. Barnet Coroner’s Court had previously heard Poppy’s mother Gemma Lomas, from Enfield, north London, was not made aware of the risks involved with delivering naturally in her home, having already delivered her first daughter, Willow, by caesarean in 2018. Midwife Sasha Field, who was present at Poppy’s birth, said in her written statement, which was read out to the inquest by senior coroner Andrew Walker, that an ambulance should have been called around 90 minutes before Poppy was born when she heard the baby’s heart rate slow down after a contraction, as a report by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch had found. In fact, midwives told Jason Lomas, Poppy’s father, to call an ambulance at around 10.37pm, two minutes after she was born, by which time it was clear she was showing no signs of life, Ms Field said in her statement. Read full article. Source: The Independent (21 April 2026)
  23. Content Article
    This week is Black Maternal Health Awareness Week. Black women in the UK are still four times more likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth than white women. In this article, Sandra Igwe, Founder of the Motherhood Group, says Black Maternal Health Awareness Week is not a PR moment. It is a reckoning. For generations, Black women have been told, implicitly and explicitly, that they are built differently. That they can handle more. That their pain is manageable. That asking for help is weakness. That speaking up is aggression. This is not a cultural truth. It is a stereotype, and it is one that has been absorbed into healthcare systems in ways that cost lives. Further reading on the hub: House of Lords roundtable on Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation: reflections from The Motherhood Group Addressing critical gaps in Black maternal mental healthcare: a new partnership project is launched (interview with Sandra Igwe)
  24. News Article
    A chair finally been appointed for an independent review into maternity and neonatal services in Sussex, nearly 10 months after the investigation was first announced by Wes Streeting. Midwife Donna Ockenden will lead the review, which is now expected to look far wider than the nine deaths at University Hospitals Susex Foundation Trust it was originally expected to examine. Families affected have been calling for Ms Ockenden to be chosen. She is already chairing the inquiry into maternity at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, and was recently appointed to head a similar inquiry into Leeds Teaching Hospitals. She previously led the inquiry into Shrewsbury and Telford maternity. The health and social care secretary, who met with Sussex families on Wednesday afternoon, said afterwards: “Donna Ockenden has earned the trust of families across the country through her tireless work to uncover the truth and drive lasting change in maternity care. I know she will bring that same dedication to Sussex.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 16 April 2026
  25. News Article
    An inquiry into the preventable deaths of babies in Sussex will fail to learn the lessons as it “systematically” excluded dozens of families, Wes Streeting has been warned before a meeting with bereaved parents. The health secretary has ordered a review of nine infant deaths at the University Hospitals Sussex NHS foundation trust amid maternity scandals across England. However, families are calling on Streeting to expand the investigation to all those who died and might have survived with better care. To date, the families of more than 60 babies who died between 2019 and 2023 have expressed concerns about their care, although the true figure is expected to be higher. Dr Marija Pantelic, a public health expert whose baby Sasha died in the care of UH Sussex in January 2022, said the narrow scope and opt-in nature of the review was dangerous and potentially harmful as it would be based on the experiences of an “overwhelmingly white and British” group of parents. Parents want an expanded investigation to be led by Donna Ockenden, the senior midwife who is leading maternity inquiries into preventable deaths at NHS trusts in Nottingham and Leeds. They also want the Sussex investigation to actively seek out families who are affected so it is not based only on the nine cases whose parents have raised the alarm. Pantelic, an associate professor in public health who specialises in health inequalities, said it should alarm Streeting that the review would be based on the experiences of the “overwhelmingly white and British” families who had come forward. “If you only hear from certain groups, you will only see certain problems,” she said. “For instance, you can be sure not to identify racism if you only hear from white families. If you fail to identify the real drivers of harm, the solutions you propose will be partial at best, and harmful at worst.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 13 April 2026

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