Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted
National investigation into maternity care presents a turning point for equitable services.
Conclusion
We hope that the national investigation will serve as a turning point for the country’s maternity services, and particularly the experience of Black women, by laying the foundation for a more transparent, accountable, and equitable maternity system. We will monitor the progress of the inquiry closely and intend to revisit its findings, with a view to undertaking further scrutiny at an appropriate stage. (Conclusion, Paragraph 44)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government committed to having a new PRiSMM system regularly report severe maternal morbidity data by region, ethnicity, and deprivation from June 2026, and to creating a new data platform for detailed patient records to help trusts monitor these rates.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
The government strongly agrees with the conclusion of the committee that progress has remained too slow in improving Black maternal health. Too many women and families have suffered trauma, harm and loss due to failures in maternity care, particularly in ethnic minority communities, including women from Black ethnic backgrounds. That is why we announced, in June 2025, a national independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services, which will help us to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies and families experience unacceptable care. On 14 August 2025, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced the appointment of Baroness Amos as chair of the investigation. The investigation will gather evidence directly from women and families, including fathers and non-birthing partners, to ensure their lived experience is reflected and used to inform recommendations. The investigation will bring together the findings of past reviews into one clear national set of actions to ensure every woman and baby receives safe, high-quality and compassionate care. Baroness Amos will be working closely with families as the investigation develops and, on 9 December 2025, published reflections (linked previously in the introduction) on what she has heard so far. The investigation’s final report and recommendations will be published in spring 2026. The investigation is independent and the terms of reference for the investigation (linked previously in the introduction) were published on 15 September 2025, which include a focus on inequalities. The investigation will aim to identify the drivers and impact of inequalities faced by women, babies and families from Black and Asian backgrounds, deprived groups, and other marginalised groups when receiving maternity and neonatal care. This will include: • focusing on factors such as racism, discrimination, lack of culturally sensitive care and language barriers • exploring how past experiences influence care-seeking behaviour • seeking opportunities to reduce health inequalities and promote equity
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