Baroness Amos has expressed her critical assessment of the reasons behind the high number of maternal and infant mortalities in NHS care, emphasizing a recurring issue. Her comprehensive evaluation of NHS maternity services echoes previous local reviews, pointing out instances where mothers’ concerns were disregarded, leading to tragic outcomes. Instances of pregnant women contacting hospitals during labor to report alarming symptoms like reduced fetal movement were often overlooked by midwives until it was too late.
A significant deficiency that persists is the lingering impact of a decade marked by Tory austerity policies, resulting in chronic understaffing. Wards with insufficient staff were hesitant to admit women in the early stages of labor.
Upon assuming power in 2024, the Labour government inherited an NHS with one of the lowest staff-to-population ratios and hospital bed numbers in Europe. The shortage of staff contributes to various issues highlighted in the Amos report, such as negative work environments and bullying.
Despite numerous local inquiries over the past decade exposing similar failings, the responsibility now falls on Labour to take action. Recent investigations, including one led by top midwife Donna Ockenden in Nottinghamshire, revealed that 520 mothers and babies suffered avoidable harm or death due to substandard care. Similar findings were uncovered in previous inquiries in Shropshire, East Kent, and Morecambe Bay.
Despite nearly 750 national recommendations stemming from these investigations, the same deficiencies persist, leading to a record high number of maternal deaths. In response to this crisis, the Labour government commissioned Baroness Amos’s National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation in 2025 to consolidate previous guidance and instigate widespread reforms.
The period of political instability following the end of Conservative rule and the subsequent decline in Labour’s popularity under Keir Starmer has seen six Secretaries of State for Health and Social Care since 2020.
The crucial Amos report now lands on the desk of James Murray, the current health secretary following the resignation of his predecessor, Wes Streeting. However, Murray’s tenure may be short-lived, with Andy Burnham likely to appoint his replacement upon assuming the role of Prime Minister. Murray had committed to unveiling an action plan based on the Amos report by December.
It is imperative that Burnham ensures that Murray’s successor upholds this commitment. Baroness Amos underscores in her foreword the necessity for political determination to drive the necessary changes.
Any change in leadership must not impede the essential reform of NHS maternity care. Failure to address these reforms promptly would dishonor the memory of the countless women and babies who have suffered due to preventable harm in the NHS.