An update from the national maternity inquiry has highlighted deeply concerning failings across England’s maternity and neonatal services, revealing repeated instances of unsafe care, a lack of transparency, and behaviour that has left grieving families without answers. Baroness Amos, who is leading the independent national investigation, said the extent of the issues uncovered so far is “deeply troubling” and reflects long‑standing, systemic problems.
Families described encountering secrecy after harm occurred, including amended or withheld medical records, defensive responses from NHS trusts, and significant barriers to accessing information about their care. Many parents felt forced into legal action simply to uncover the truth about what had happened to them or their baby.
Baroness Amos also reported that women from ethnic minority backgrounds and those in disadvantaged communities continue to experience poorer outcomes, often linked to discrimination or a lack of compassionate care.
Systemic failures and repeated mistakes
The investigation builds on previous maternity scandals in Nottingham, East Kent, Morecambe Bay and Shropshire, yet many of the same issues persist despite hundreds of earlier recommendations.
Interim findings highlighted ongoing systemic problems, including:
- Families reporting a “cover‑up culture”, with medical notes redacted, amended or delayed for years.
- Parents being denied involvement in investigations into their own care or their baby’s death.
- Poor‑quality internal reviews that failed to reflect what happened or acknowledge avoidable harm.
- Staff shortages causing delays at every stage of maternity care, from initial assessment to postnatal support.
- Mothers being sent home without adequate checks and unable to reach staff when complications arose.
- Distressing behaviour from staff, including a lack of compassion, defensiveness and refusal to apologise when errors occurred.
Maternity staff also told the review team they are working under intense pressure, with some hiding their uniforms in public due to fear of criticism, and others reporting that relentless scrutiny has made already challenging working conditions even harder.
Families call for honesty and accountability
Bereaved parents repeatedly expressed distress at the secrecy they encountered, with many describing additional trauma caused by a lack of transparency and openness after losing their baby. One mother told the review that her daughter’s notes “magically reappeared” three years after her birth, containing inaccuracies the family could prove.
Campaign groups and affected families stressed that meaningful change must finally follow these findings. Many fear that without swift action, the same patterns of avoidable harm will continue.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the report exposes “systematic and recurring failures” in maternity care and pledged to establish a national taskforce to deliver urgent improvements once Baroness Amos’s final recommendations are published.
Enable Law’s comments
Enable Law Managing Associate Nicola Rawlinson‑Weller commented:
“The findings from this stage of Baroness Amos’s investigation are incredibly worrying. They show how repeated failures, lack of transparency and missed opportunities to learn continue to put parents and babies at risk – something we frequently see with the families that we support. It is vital that these issues are addressed urgently so that every family receives the safe, compassionate care they deserve.”
How Enable Law can support you
If you are concerned about the maternity care you or your baby received, our specialist team is here to help. We offer free, confidential initial discussions with no obligation to proceed.
To talk to one of our experts, call us on 0800 044 8488 or fill in our contact form so we can call you back at a time convenient to you.
