Found: be asked to give evidence, including: • Baroness Scotland KC • Baroness Ashton of Upholland, • Baroness Amos

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to include Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust in the National maternity and neonatal investigation; and whether she plans to include bereaved families in Shropshire in the investigation.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Chair of the Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, Baroness Amos, has removed the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust from the list of local National Health Service trust investigations for the Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation following recent discussions with West Mercia Police about the details and schedule of their ongoing investigation.

The call for evidence will launch in November, and families from Shrewsbury and Telford have been encouraged to participate.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who has been selected to represent (a) midwifery, (b) obstetrics and (c) neonatal care for his Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The list of Expert Advisers supporting Baroness Amos is published in the terms of reference. They include:

a) Professor Julia Sanders and Lesley Sharkey, both midwives.

b) Professor Alex Heazell and Dr Christine Ekechi, both obstetricians.

c) Dr Edile Murdoch and Dr Alison Bedford-Russell, both neonatologists.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the steps taken by NHS England to ensure (a) transparency when maternal and neonatal care goes wrong and (b) that bereaved parents receive full answers on (i) their and (ii) their babies’ care.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In June 2025, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced measures to hold National Health Service maternity and neonatal services to greater account and improve transparency. This included the introduction of a new early warning system, powered by a real-time data tool, to detect safety issues earlier and allow action to be taken more swiftly to improve outcomes. Since the announcement, the NHSE Chief Executive has met with leaders of the four trusts of greatest concern in maternity and neonatal care. He set out the priority they need to give to turning around their services in Leeds, Gloucester, Mid and South Essex, and Sussex, with ongoing oversight and support being led by Regional Directors.

As set out in the terms of reference for the independent national Investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services announced by the Secretary of State, the Investigation will assess the quality of the response of NHS trusts and integrated care boards (ICBs) when things go wrong or harm occurs, including investigating and learning from incidents and promoting honesty, transparency and candour. The Investigation, chaired by Baroness Amos, will develop and publish one set of national recommendations. These recommendations will be taken forward by the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by Secretary of State for Health, and formed into a national action plan to help bereaved and harmed families to receive justice and accountability.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date his Department will publish the terms of reference for the national maternity review.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation’s Terms of Reference were published on 15 September 2025 and are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-maternity-and-neonatal-investigation-terms-of-reference

The Chair of the Investigation, Baroness Amos, engaged with families on their development.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to consult (a) the Maternity Safety Alliance and (b) other bereaved families’ groups as part of the national maternity review.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 23 June 2025, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced an independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies and families experience unacceptable care.

He has held a series of meetings with harmed and bereaved families from across the country, and has committed to ensuring the voices of women and families are at the heart of improving standards.

On 14 August 2025, he announced the appointment of Baroness Amos as Chair of the Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation. Baroness Amos was selected after feedback from bereaved families who expressed a preference for someone with distance from the NHS.

Baroness Amos’ investigation will put families at the heart of the work and affected families were asked to provide input to the draft terms of reference of the investigation. These have been developed to focus on understanding the experiences of affected women and families, identifying lessons learned and driving the improvements needed to ensure high quality and safe maternity and neonatal care across England.

The Government is also establishing a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to be made up of a panel of experts and family, charity and staff representatives.

The taskforce will use the recommendations from the independent investigation to develop a national plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care, and will work closely with families in developing the action plan, ensuring their voices are central to this work.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the rapid national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services to make its initial set of recommendations.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In June 2025, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced an independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services, which will be chaired by Baroness Amos.

The investigation will produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025. These recommendations will take previous recommendations into consideration and will therefore take primacy over previous recommendations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the rapid national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services to complete.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In June 2025, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced an independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services, which will be chaired by Baroness Amos.

The investigation will produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025. These recommendations will take previous recommendations into consideration and will therefore take primacy over previous recommendations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS Trusts will be involved in the Rapid National Investigation into maternity and neonatal services.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 14 August 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced the appointment of Baroness Amos as Chair of the Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/baroness-amos-to-spearhead-maternity-and-neonatal-investigation#

The investigation will carry out rapid reviews of up to ten trusts with specific issues. The Chair is working closely with families to finalise the terms of reference, including the selection criteria to select the trusts, which will be announced as soon as possible.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ensuring that the national review of Maternity Services (a) includes representations from (i) patients and (ii) campaign groups and (b) encourages their active involvement.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 23 June, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced an independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care. He has held a series of meetings with harmed and bereaved families from across the country and has committed to ensuring that the voices of women and families are at the heart of improving standards.

In addition, on 14 August, the appointment was announced of the Rt Hon. the Baroness Amos as chair of the independent maternity and neonatal investigation. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/baroness-amos-to-spearhead-maternity-and-neonatal-investigation

The Rt. Hon. the Baroness Amos was selected after feedback from bereaved families who expressed a preference for someone with distance from the NHS. Support will be given by a team of esteemed expert advisors, who will be selected following further engagement with families. The chair is working with families to finalise the terms of reference for the investigation, and these will be published shortly.

The Government is also establishing a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and this is to be made up of a panel of experts and family, charity, and staff representatives.

The taskforce will use the recommendations from the independent investigation to develop a national plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care. The taskforce will work closely with families in developing the action plan, ensuring their voices are central to this work.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve the quality of maternity care for women across the country.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

An independent Investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services has been launched to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies and families experience unacceptable care. Baroness Amos has been appointed as Chair of the Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation and will be supported by a team of esteemed expert advisers, who will be selected following further engagement with families. The Chair is working with families to finalise the terms of reference for the investigation, and these will be published shortly. The Investigation will produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025.

The Government is also establishing a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to be made up of a panel of experts and family, charity and staff representatives. The Taskforce will use the recommendations from the independent Investigation to develop a national plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care. The Taskforce will work closely with families in developing the action plan, ensuring their voices are central to this work.

Immediate action is also being taken to improve accountability and better identify safety concerns within maternity services. This includes: measures to hold the system to account;  a system to better identify safety concerns; rolling out a programme to all trusts to tackle discrimination and racism; and new best practice standards in maternal mortality.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter of 10 July 2025 from the hon. Member for Henley and Thame on maternity services.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The letter has been passed to Baroness Amos as chair of the independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care, and she will respond directly in due course.

Found: Baroness Amos was appointed as Chair of the Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation on 14 August

Found: Baroness Amos’ investigation will put families at the heart of the work and affected families were asked

Found: Baroness Amos to spearhead maternity and neonatal Investigation