Bereaved families and victims of NHS maternity failures have demanded the withdrawal of a government review into care standards, calling it "wholly discredited" and "superficial." A group of families, including those who lost children due to substandard care, have written to Health Secretary James Murray, stating that Baroness Valerie Amos' report ignored victims and "cherry-picked" evidence. They are calling for the report to be scrapped and the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce disbanded.
The report found that maternity units were "not fit for purpose," citing issues such as unsanitary facilities and equipment failures that compromised patient safety. Pregnant women described experiencing "blood-stained toilets and showers, dirty beds and wards infested with insects and mould," while midwives warned that "leaks, faulty equipment and other 'safety hazards' distract them from their work."
Concerns have also been raised about the report's methodology and content. Dr. Bill Kirkup, a clinical adviser who resigned from the review team, stated that Baroness Amos altered the final report to remove criticism of "normal birth ideology." This ideology, which advocates for unmedicated and intervention-free births, has been implicated in previous investigations into maternal and neonatal deaths and injuries. Dr. Kirkup expressed that warnings about this approach posing a risk to patient safety were excluded from the final report, despite being present in earlier drafts.
The Maternity Safety Alliance, a coalition of affected families, has asserted that the investigation was the "wrong format," lacked necessary depth, and was not truly independent. They claim the report "does not even mention many of the serious and avoidable types of harm" caused by NHS maternity failings and that victims' voices were "disregarded and minimised."
Emily Barley, co-founder of the Maternity Safety Alliance, whose daughter Beatrice died in 2022 due to maternity care failings, said the investigation was steered by "special interests rather than the evidence" and failed to scrutinize regulators responsible for safety. She added that the report "is not fit for purpose and should be withdrawn." Maternal deaths in the UK have reached a 20-year high, occurring despite numerous scandals and official reports over the past decade. The National Health Service now spends as much on legal claims related to maternity blunders as it does on actual maternity care.