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 improve (a) openness, (b) learning and (c) transparency in maternity units.

In March 2023, NHS England published their ‘Three year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services’. The plan outlines that trusts are responsible for maintaining an ethos of open and honest reporting and sharing information on the safety, quality, and the experiences of their services.

£2.8 million has been invested into the Perinatal Culture and Leadership Development Programme which will support multi-professional teams, from across maternity and neonatal services, to take time out together. A Maternity Leadership Training fund has been developed to equip maternity and neonatal leaders with a range of skills and knowledge to address poor workplace culture and facilitate collaborative working between nurses, doctors, midwives and obstetricians.