Data reporting
Thirlwall Inquiry · Thirlwall Inquiry Final Report · Issued 15 September 2026 · Addressed to: NHS Trusts
Government responseDepartment of Health and Social Care: Under consideration (Sep 2026)
DeliveryNo statement from NHS Trusts found
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation, Chapter 35
i. All hospitals with a neonatal unit should name a ‘lead reporter’ with responsibility
for inputting data regularly (at least weekly) and reviewing real-time data viewers on
neonatal and maternity units in the MBRRACE system. Whilst the lead reporter does not
necessarily need to be a clinician, they must be trained to understand and interpret the
available data and able to explain and discuss it with clinicians.
ii. Save where data requires immediate action, in which case a report should be made to
the Medical Director and the Board immediately, the lead reporter should report to Trust
Boards at least every six months and advise:
a. whether any alerts or a need for investigation have arisen
b. the investigation or action plan in place.
Thirlwall Inquiry, Thirlwall Inquiry Final Report · 15 Sep 2026 Source PDF, page 3 →
Published evidence summary
AI-generated evidence summary
In an oral statement to the House of Commons in September 2026, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Yvette Cooper, stated that the government has implemented the maternity outcome signal system to provide near real-time safety alerts, but agreed regarding technology recommendations that "we must do more" (Yvette Cooper response, Sep 2026). The record holds no update since the department's response of September 2026 (Yvette Cooper response, Sep 2026).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026.
Government response
●Department of Health and Social Care · Under consideration · 15 Sep 2026
The report also makes recommendations for the regulators, including CQC, which we will ensure are taken seriously, and on technology. We have implemented the maternity outcome signal system, which provides near real-time safety alerts, but we agree: we must do more.
Extract from: Government response to the Thirlwall Inquiry
Delivery
No statement on delivery from NHS Trusts has been found in the sources searched. This is separate from the response above.
How this page is built
The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.