The United Kingdom (UK) Health Secretary Wes Streeting has unveiled the 14 NHS trusts that will face a major national review into maternity and neonatal services, following persistent claims of long-standing failings in care.
The rapid investigation, to be led by Baroness Amos, was commissioned in June after mounting pressure from families and campaigners who alleged unsafe practices dating back more than a decade.
The trusts identified include Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals; Blackpool Teaching Hospitals; Bradford Teaching Hospitals; East Kent Hospitals; Gloucestershire Hospitals; Leeds Teaching Hospitals; Oxford University Hospitals; Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals; Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital; The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn; University Hospitals of Leicester; University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay; University Hospitals Sussex; and Yeovil District Hospital/Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.
Officials said the selection was informed by evidence such as Care Quality Commission patient surveys, perinatal mortality rates collated by MBRRACE-UK, and direct feedback from families.
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Some of the trusts named are already familiar to the public. Shrewsbury and Telford was at the centre of the 2022 Ockenden inquiry, which concluded that poor maternity care over 20 years may have contributed to the deaths of more than 200 babies.
East Kent Hospitals was separately investigated by Dr Bill Kirkup, whose review reported in the same year that dozens of babies had died due to failings.
Streeting said the new review was about ensuring lessons are acted on nationally says Independent report.
“Bereaved families have shown extraordinary courage in coming forward to help inform this rapid national investigation alongside Baroness Amos,” he said. “What they have experienced is devastating, and their strength will help protect other families from enduring what they have been through.”
Amos emphasised that the inquiry will give priority to the perspectives of mothers, fathers and wider families, with particular attention to inequalities experienced by Black, Asian and marginalised groups. .
Interim findings are expected in December 2025, with full recommendations to follow.
Several of the trusts, including Leeds, Oxford, and Bradford, said they welcomed the review and highlighted ongoing work to improve services.
However, campaigners in Leeds reiterated their demand for a separate independent inquiry under Donna Ockenden, insisting that only a locally focused investigation could properly address their concerns.
