National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation

Debate between Baroness Adams of Craigielea and Baroness Merron

Monday 6th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I know that the noble Baroness, Lady Amos, made the kind of comments to which the noble Baroness refers. The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will certainly look at all these areas and, as I mentioned, those reviews will continue. I emphasise that we have to bring this cycle to a close. That is exactly why the former Secretary of State commissioned the noble Baroness, Lady Amos, so that we would bring together a coherent, fully informed list of national recommendations. That is indeed what we have, and we have already actioned a number of them. To the points that the noble Baroness made, that work will continue and will not be held up.

[Baroness Adams of Craigielea (Lab)]

My Lords, I will follow on from the excellent question and suggestions from the noble Baroness, Lady Watkins, about specialist nurses being fast-tracked into midwifery. Donna Ockenden’s report found that many student and newly qualified midwives feel they do not have the necessary level of skills to deal with complex cases. What conversations will the taskforce or the commissioner have with the Royal College of Midwives about the training pathway for midwives? Currently, the Royal College of Midwives does not seem to see any need for a return to nurse training.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I am fully aware of—I will put it tactfully—the difference of opinion in this regard. This morning, I was speaking with one of our main advisers, who did not feel it was necessarily an answer to go down the road of midwives being nurses—I know the noble Baroness did not say that—and I bow to that experience, but for me it raises the complexity.

It is important to emphasise a point about which I have been concerned for some time: about a third of student midwives have no role to go to. The noble Baroness is right, but some of it is about basic experience, and nobody can gain experience without putting the years in—that is a fact. That is why getting the new funding, up to £10,000 per post, means we will keep students in the profession and give them the chance to develop the very important expertise to which the noble Baroness refers. Further, having multidisciplinary teams and the right people means that you can manage whatever complexity. There is no way that any one person can deal with all complex cases. Every case has a high degree of individuality, as I know the noble Baroness is aware.