Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the condition of maternity wards and equipment across NHS trusts.

NHS England’s maternity and neonatal infrastructure review was completed in spring 2024 by all trusts in England that provide maternity and neonatal services. It found various issues with maternity and neonatal service infrastructure, including limited physical space, inadequate capacity for efficient services, and poor building conditions.

However, all trust boards are asked to review their estates data and to seek assurance that all healthcare premises, from which they are delivering maternity and neonatal services, are of appropriate standard. In instances where the estate is not of appropriate standard, trust boards should ensure mitigating action is being taken accordingly.

NHS England is developing a data dashboard to present maternity and neonatal estate survey data. This will enable trusts to capture the latest information on their estates and take action at the local level when required.

The independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, chaired by Baroness Amos, is considering the adequacy of maternity and neonatal infrastructure within its scope.