Health secretary calls Amos report on England maternity care a ‘watershed moment’
7 reported
Health secretary James Murray said Valerie Amos's report on maternity care in England must be a "watershed moment" for how the NHS treats pregnant women and babies. Murray pledged the report would lead to significant improvements and that "toxic dynamics" damaging relationships between hospital staff would be dismantled. A powerful maternity commissioner will be appointed to push through an urgent transformation of childbirth care. The Amos report found that maternity care had not kept up with major changes such as older motherhood and the rise in caesarean sections. Murray criticized a culture where maternity units prioritize reputation over openness to families when mistakes occur. Amos identified "shocking" failings including women being ignored, poor triage, chronic understaffing, and lives being put at risk. The report is the second in less than a week to advise a dramatic overhaul of maternity care, following Donna Ockenden's inquiry into the Nottingham maternity scandal. Amos made eight main recommendations, including an overhaul of maternity triage services and rooting out racism and discrimination in the system.
What’s reported
Health secretary James Murray called the Amos report a "watershed moment" for NHS maternity care.
A new maternity commissioner will be appointed to co-chair the national maternity and neonatal taskforce with the health secretary.
The Amos report is 181 pages long and found "shocking" failings including women being ignored, poor triage, and chronic understaffing.
Amos made eight main recommendations, including overhauling maternity triage, allowing families to seek independent investigations, and replacing the NHS compensation system.
The report noted that stillbirths and neonatal deaths are at near-record lows but progress has stalled since 2020.
One of Amos's clinical advisers, Dr Bill Kirkup, resigned hours before the report's publication over wording on "normal birth ideology."
The report is the second in less than a week to advise a dramatic overhaul, following the Nottingham maternity scandal inquiry by Donna Ockenden.
Key figures
James Murray, health secretary
Valerie Amos, Labour peer and former cabinet minister, author of the report
Dr Bill Kirkup, maternity safety expert and clinical adviser to Amos (resigned)
Donna Ockenden, author of the Nottingham maternity scandal inquiry
Sources: The Guardian
