National NHS Maternity Investigation Launched By Wes Streeting

Wes Streeting has announced the launch of a national investigation into NHS maternity services which everyone involved in helping those affected by birth injuries knows has been a long time coming. 

The health secretary says the new rapid review will report back in December 2025 and will provide answers to those families suffering harm as well as attempt to drive urgent improvements to care and safety.

High profile scandals stretching back decades from Morecambe Bay to failings at Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals, East Kent Hospital Trust and more recently in Nottingham and Leeds have all pointed to widespread and deep-rooted problems nationally. 

The latest announcement acknowledges that this is a national issue, and it is good to see the Government are now looking to take action to improve care.

It's imperative that when something goes wrong in the NHS, families are listened to, problems are analysed and reviewed – and any recommendations implemented quickly to prevent the same mistakes happening time and time again.

Sadly, many recommendations from previous reports and investigations have not been fully implemented missing crucial opportunities to improve patient safety and learn from mistakes  - which is the best way to improve healthcare. 

As the leading medical negligence lawyers in the country, we’ve represented thousands of families and every one of those cases is a lesson in the devastating impact of negligent maternity care. 

We hope this national investigation and taskforce will lead to decisive action to improve maternity safety nationally and restore confidence in the service.

Find out more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in birth injury claims.