A Defining Moment for Maternity Safety: A Response from UKExpertMedical

This week’s announcement of a rapid national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services marks a critical milestone in the drive for safer, more compassionate care for mothers, babies, and families.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the inquiry as a “line in the sand.” For UKExpertMedical and the clinicians and families we work with, this moment represents long-overdue recognition of the systemic failings that have led to preventable harm, avoidable trauma, and a crisis in trust.

Why This Investigation Matters to UKExpertMedical

As a leading provider of expert medical reports for clinical negligence and personal injury claims, UKExpertMedical works closely with legal professionals and medical specialists to assess the causes and consequences of medical harm, including birth injuries resulting from failures in maternity care.

We have seen firsthand the lifelong impact that negligent maternity care can have on a child’s development and a family’s future. Whether due to mismanaged labour, delayed intervention, or failure to monitor fetal distress, the result can be catastrophic. Brain injuries such as cerebral palsy are tragically common outcomes of these lapses.

This investigation, encompassing some of the worst-performing maternity units and backed by a system-wide review, offers the opportunity to change that narrative.

What’s Changing?

Key proposals from the national review include:

• A review of up to 10 NHS maternity units with the most serious safety concerns
• Learning integration from previous major inquiries (Ockenden, Kirkup, Nottingham)
• A single national plan to raise safety and compassion standards
• Addressing stark inequalities, including racial disparities in maternal outcomes
• A new anti-discrimination programme
• Digital safety monitoring tools are due by November 2025
• Family-led leadership via the new Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce

UKExpertMedical’s Perspective

Our independent medical experts are often called upon to identify failings in care, quantify damage, and help courts and claimants understand the medical facts. Too often, our reports detail preventable injuries that reflect broader systemic issues, not isolated errors.

This investigation should lead to more than awareness; it must deliver accountability, change in practice, and sustainable improvements in service delivery.

Our Hopes for This Investigation

We welcome this renewed focus on maternity care and hope it will lead to:

• Clear accountability for past and future failings
• Substantial, long-term investment in maternity services so that staff are no longer overstretched, and safety is not compromised
• Comprehensive and early assessments of injuries sustained at birth
• Greater collaboration between legal, medical, and policy stakeholders
• A commitment to listening to the lived experience of patients and their families

UKExpertMedical will continue to provide timely, expert-led medical reporting to ensure families affected by poor maternity care can seek redress and justice with clarity and confidence.

📌 Learn more about our work or get in touch here

If you would like to speak with one of our clinical experts about maternity-related injury or your legal case, please contact us through our website.