NHS maternity services are failing women, says national inquiry report

The interim report from the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation has found that NHS maternity services across England are routinely failing women and babies.

The interim report published by Baroness Amos covers 14 NHS Trusts across England and was launched in June 2025. Baroness Amos said of her interim report: “It is clear from the meetings and conversations I have had with hundreds of women, families and staff members across the country, that maternity and neonatal services in England are failing too many women, babies, families and staff.”

It found deep-rooted issues across the NHS, including racism, mistakes in care, patients not being listened to and a “lack of kindness and compassion”.

Although the report is not final and does state that no firm conclusions or recommendations are made in the report, Baroness Amos shares the insights that she has discovered so far in her investigation.

The government-ordered report listed six key factors contributing to the issues:

• Staff shortages
• Capacity issues
• Culture and leadership
• Racism and discrimination
• A lack of accountability when things go wrong
• The poor condition of NHS hospitals and buildings.

Specific ssues that were identified included:

• Poor IT systems leaving records incomplete, with notes often stored on multiple systems.
• ‘bullying and racist behavior’ between staff which was not always dealt with by management
• A lack of compassion towards families when harm or baby loss occurs
• Staff reporting maternity units did not have enough personnel to provide safe care
• Delays to admission and treatment including induction and planned c-sections
• Discrimination against women of colour, working class women, women with mental health challenges, and young parents

The public call for women and families to share their experiences remains open until 17 March 2026. Over 8,000 people have so far submitted evidence to Baroness Amos’ maternity enquiry.

The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation is a separate inquiry from The Ockenden Review, which is currently the largest maternity review in NHS history. Multiple investigations are currently taking place including Leeds, Nottingham, Shrewsbury and Telford and Wales,

If you are concerned about the maternity care that you or a loved one has experienced, please get in touch with our expert maternity negligence team who will be able to help.