Hucknall MP welcomes announcement of national inquiry into maternity services in England

Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP (Lab) said ‘we must act now’ as he made the inquiry announcement.

It comes after a series of maternity scandals, including the one surrounding Nottingham Unversity Hospitals Trust (NUH) were there is an ongoing is also inquiry led by independent midwife Donna Ockenden looking into injuries and deaths of mothers and babies at the NUH-run Queen’s Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital, dating back to 2012.

On top of that, Nottinghamshire Police have also launched a corporate manslaughter inquiry into maternity services at NUH, something Ms Welsh and Buwell MP Alex Norris (Lab), have both given their public backing to.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Streeting said he wanted to ‘ensure no parent or baby is ever let down again’.

He continued: "I know nobody wants better for women and babies than the thousands of NHS midwives, obstetricians, maternity and neonatal staff, and that the vast majority of births are safe and without incident, but it's clear something is going wrong.

"For the past year, I have been meeting bereaved families from across the country who have lost babies or suffered serious harm during what should have been the most joyful time in their lives.

"Their bravery in speaking out has made it clear – we must act and we must act now."

Ms Welsh, chair of the Maternity All-Party Parliamentary Group, said: “I welcome the Health Secretary’s announcement of a national investigation into NHS maternity services.

"This is an important and long-overdue step towards understanding the scale of the failings and delivering the urgent reforms that families have

been calling for.

“It’s been a long time coming, but now we have a Secretary of State who cares, listens, and is prepared to act.

"Too many parents have experienced the unimaginable heartbreak of losing a baby or seeing a loved one suffer during childbirth, only to be met with silence, delay, or denial when they sought answers.

“Their devastation cannot be overstated.

"These are not isolated incidents, but systemic issues that demand urgent, transparent, and compassionate action.”

The investigation will consist of two parts – a rapid review of up to 10 of the most concerning maternity and neonatal units to

provide answers and accountability for affected families as quickly as possible, and a wider, system-level investigation that brings together the findings of previous inquiries to produce one clear, national set of actions.

Crucially, the investigation will be co-produced with clinicians, experts and parents.

The review will begin this summer and report by December 2025.

In tandem, the Government has said it will also establish a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to drive sustained improvement across the system.

Ms Welsh said: “This investigation is the result of years of tireless campaigning by families who refused to be ignored.

“Their bravery in the face of grief has brought us to this moment – now it must lead to action.

"We need answers, accountability, and a clear pathway to lasting change.”

“We owe that to every family who has suffered, and to every parent and baby who will rely on these services in the future.

"This must be a turning point.”