Baroness Amos to spearhead maternity and neonatal Investigation

Baroness Amos has been selected by Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting by direct ministerial appointment after feedback from bereaved families who expressed a preference for someone with distance from the NHS who will bring a fresh pair of eyes to the role.

Baroness Amos is currently Master of University College Oxford and brings a wealth of experience as a previous UK government minister and senior official at the United Nations. She will be supported by a team of esteemed expert advisers, who will be selected following further engagement with families.

Baroness Amos says: “I will carry the weight of the loss suffered by families with me throughout this investigation. I hope that we will be able to provide the answers that families are seeking and support the NHS in identifying areas of care requiring urgent reform.”

The investigation will look at up to 10 services in the country. It will also review the maternity and neonatal system, bringing 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.

The maternity and neonatal units will be decided by Baroness Amos and her team, alongside the terms of reference of the investigation, which are being developed with the families who have experiences of maternity and neonatal care, including those in Leeds, Sussex, Nottingham and more.

The investigation is separate from the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which will be made up of a panel of esteemed experts and families, and chaired by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to keep up momentum and deliver change.