What does the rapid national maternity investigation mean for families?

Posted: 30/06/2025

The Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and the Right Honourable Wes Streeting have announced a rapid national maternity investigation to provide 'truth to families suffering harm and urgently improve care and safety.'

There has been a spotlight on failing maternity care in recent years, and it has become apparent that a national approach is needed to address the systemic failures.

This rapid national maternity investigation will comprise two distinct parts. The first will be an urgent investigation into up to 10 of the worst maternity and neonatal units, to include a review of the maternity services at Sussex. The second part will be consideration of the system-wide problems that are affecting maternity and neonatal units across the country. The hope is that this national investigation will highlight the central problems within the current system, and instigate a significant cultural change to protect families using maternity and neonatal services in the future. 

Truth for families 

Sadly, all too often, families who have suffered harm report that they are not listened to and do not feel involved, informed or valued during the investigation into their care. It is therefore of central importance to implement the duty of candour, and provide truth to these families, who should feel empowered to ask questions, to expect clear and detailed answers, and to understand why they suffered harm.  

The value of providing families with the truth, in a timely manner, should not be underestimated. Whilst losses and injuries that have already been suffered cannot be undone, there needs to be a culture of openness, accountability and early resolution. There are many instances where lack of sincere apologies, investigation delays, not being kept informed, chasing for answers, and being 'kept in the dark' cause additional trauma to families who are already dealing with the consequences of negligent treatment.  

With this in mind, the proposal to undertake a rapid assessment, of the trusts where there are greatest concerns about care is a positive step towards ensuring the trusts are held to account and the affected families get answers. Whilst the report is not expected until December 2025, the commitment to investigating these trusts, and the provision of a clear deadline for doing so, is an important landmark for the families involved.   

Urgently improving care and safety 

By urgently reviewing up to 10 trusts, and considering the patterns of systemic failures identified during previous inquiries, the investigation can identify the nationwide changes that need to be made to improve patient safety. It is important going forward that trusts report any safety failures and are held accountable for them, so lessons can be learnt and measures can be put in place to prevent further harm being caused. It will be interesting to see what recommendations come from this investigation which could include compulsory training requirements and the implementation of new nationwide maternity strategies or policies to improve safety and standards of care.

Sarah Hibberd, a senior associate specialising in maternity claims, comments: "A significant change to maternity care is long overdue. For years, we have seen a lack of accountability and a culture of defensiveness when investigating maternity claims. This means that, often, families, who have already been devastated by negligent treatment, have to fight for years, with some never getting the answers they deserve. For patient safety to improve, and to prevent further harm being caused to those already injured, it is imperative there is a cultural shift towards openness, acknowledgement, collaboration and learning. At the moment, it feels as though maternity services are at breaking point, but we truly hope this national investigation will be a real impetus for change."   

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