RCM responds to government announcement on national maternity investigation 

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has called for urgency and support for staff and families following the announcement from the Department of Health and Social Care naming 14 NHS trusts that will be part of the new national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services. Baroness Amos has been selected to lead the independent investigation.

Gill Walton, Chief Executive of the RCM, said:  “Now that the trusts have been named, it is imperative that this investigation gets underway at pace. This announcement will bring clarity, but it will also bring fresh challenges for maternity staff at the trusts affected. It is vital that staff are supported through what will inevitably be a difficult process.

“When this investigation was first announced it was described as a ‘rapid review’ that would report by December. It is vital this work gets underway quickly so that the families who have suffered unimaginable harm get the answers they need and hard-pressed maternity staff get the support and investment they’ve been calling for.

“As we said when Wes Streeting announced this review back in June, addressing the systemic failings in maternity services has to be a priority for this government, and for all of us involved in maternity care.

“Every midwife, maternity support worker, obstetrician and anaesthetist wants every woman and family to leave maternity services whole, happy and healthy. That has to be the goal of this review – but it has to happen at pace. Now that the trusts involved have been named, it is even more important that this investigation moves quickly, in the interests of both the staff working in these services and the women and families who rely on them.”

The RCM said that support for staff throughout the investigation will be crucial, as those working in the affected trusts navigate what will be a challenging process while continuing to provide safe, high quality care. The RCM has long warned that many midwives and maternity support workers are at or near breaking point and has called on the review to make it easy for staff to raise concerns and to be heard.

Walton continues: “We must not lose sight of the progress already being made in many maternity services. We need to build on that progress, share examples of good practice, and make sure learning from this investigation is acted on swiftly so that real improvements are delivered for women, families and staff.”

Earlier this year, at the Progress in Partnership summit led by the RCM and other organisations involved in maternity and neonatal care, senior NHS leaders heard from teams already making significant positive steps in improving safety. The RCM has cautioned against this national investigation being a distraction from the progress that has already been made and to make it easier for these improvements to be shared across the NHS.

The RCM also welcomed the investigation’s focus on tackling the stark inequalities that persist in maternity outcomes.

Walton adds: “It should not be the case that in 21st century Britain, Black and Asian women are disproportionately more likely to die during childbirth or soon after, or that their babies are more likely to have poorer outcomes.”