Tag: 2026

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 30 June 2026.

New commissioner and extra funding announced to make maternity and neonatal care safer, fairer and more consistent across England.

• First ever commissioner to speak up for women, babies and families
• National action plan will be published in December to overhaul services and drive long-term change
• Additional £41 million investment to improve safety at maternity and neonatal facilities
• New standards for maternity triage across the country will end the postcode lottery in care 

Families across the country will see their maternity and neonatal care overhauled, as the government today (Tuesday 30 June) takes urgent steps in response to Baroness Amos’s landmark independent investigation – including the creation of the UK’s first ever maternity and neonatal commissioner. 

The new commissioner will provide independent leadership to hold the system to account, drive change and rebuild trust, co-chairing the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce with the Secretary of State. Crucially, the commissioner will ensure the voices of women are always heard by those at the heart of the system.

Baroness Amos examined the experiences of thousands of women, their families and staff, alongside local investigations of 12 trusts, and her report paints a stark picture.

It found a system that is fragmented, overly complex and too slow to learn, that women and families are not being listened to, that there is a lack of accountability and answers when things go wrong, and that racism and discrimination are driving inequalities in care. Staff also reported feeling unheard.

The measures announced today will begin the process of turning that around.

A comprehensive national action plan will be published in December 2026, setting out priority actions and long-term reform to deliver safer, fairer care. This will be driven by the taskforce, bringing together families, clinicians and other experts with a clear focus on safety, equity and accountability.

Alongside structural reform, the government is investing a further £41 million to tackle urgent safety risks in maternity and neonatal facilities, building on £145 million already committed since April 2025. This funding will address issues such as fire safety, ventilation issues and outdated infrastructure – creating safer environments for mothers and newborns.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care James Murray said: 

For too long, women, babies and families have been failed by a system that didn’t listen. Their stories are heartbreaking and demand action. 

I am grateful to Baroness Amos for her work on this landmark review, which is a turning point. Appointing the UK’s first ever maternity and neonatal commissioner will drive lasting change and make sure women and families are never ignored again.

For patients, the changes will mean more consistent, responsive care. New national standards for maternity triage will ensure women are assessed quickly, listened to properly and given safe, timely care from the moment they arrive. The aim is clear: to end the postcode lottery and ensure every family receives the same high standard of care.

Further urgent changes include the national rollout of the Perinatal Equity and Anti-Discrimination Programme. This will tackle unacceptable inequalities in care and outcomes, particularly for Black and Asian women, those from deprived backgrounds and other marginalised groups. 

A total of 1,000 temporary roles will be created to help newly qualified midwives join the NHS, backed by more than £10 million in government funding. The jobs will be for graduates and will help prevent a third of student midwives from leaving the profession.

The taskforce will also be looking at all parts of the health system when things go wrong – including regulators – to ensure that accountability is established.

Kate Brintworth, Chief Midwifery Officer for England, said: 

Too many women, babies and families have been harmed, bereaved or badly let down by maternity care, and too often women and families who raised concerns were not listened to.

This has to change. Women and families must be taken seriously when they say something is wrong, and staff must feel able to speak up when they are worried about safety.

The NHS is determined to address this quickly and we will work with the new maternity and neonatal commissioner to achieve this. NHS leaders are also coming together today to set out how immediate actions can be taken across all maternity and neonatal services in England to improve safety and the support and care offered to women and families.

I know recent reports will be deeply worrying for women and families, but please continue to speak to your midwife or maternity team if you have any concerns. They understand and want to make sure you have the care and support you need.

Michelle Welsh MP, Maternity Adviser, said:

I am pleased that a maternity and neonatal commissioner role will be established, and I look forward to seeing a robust appointment process take place.

I want to thank Baroness Amos for her hard and thorough work on this report, as well as those who have contributed to this effort – most importantly the families who have shared their experiences, alongside the organisations that have supported this work.

It is now vital that we work together to deliver meaningful and lasting improvements in maternity care centred around safety and compassion.

Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon OBE, Chair of the Race Equality Engagement Group, said:

The findings highlighted by Baroness Amos’s important report reveal the deeply entrenched racial inequalities that exist in maternity and neonatal services in England. 

Racism and discrimination have no place in our health service. The fact that women have received worse care due to their race or background is totally unacceptable and cannot continue. I look forward to the government’s urgent work to now deliver the manifesto commitment to set a target for tackling the maternal mortality gap.

I would also like to place on record my thanks to Baroness Amos for leading this vital and timely report.

These announcements build on significant action the government has already taken to improve maternity and neonatal services. This includes:

• implementing a new programme to reduce the 2 leading causes of avoidable brain injury during labour 
• delivering a package of initiatives and interventions to reduce stillbirths, neonatal brain injury, neonatal death and preterm birth 
• completing the full rollout of a Perinatal Culture and Leadership Programme to develop a culture of safety, learning and support for leads from all maternity and neonatal units 
• expanding maternal mental health services to support women who experience moderate to severe or complex mental health issues following birth trauma or perinatal loss
• extending the baby loss certificate scheme to include all historic losses
• rolling out guidance across the NHS to tackle the leading causes of maternal death including thrombosis, mental health, epilepsy and haemorrhage
• publishing a maternity and neonatal equalities dashboard to support NHS trusts and integrated care boards to identify and address health inequalities while promoting transparency by publishing information on outcomes
• extending Martha’s Rule to maternity and neonatal wards in England to ensure every parent can request a rapid review from an independent medical team if a baby or mother’s condition is deteriorating and they are concerned this is not being responded to
• ensuring past and present NHS staff can be compelled to provide evidence in the upcoming maternity reviews in Leeds and Sussex, once the Public Office (Accountability) Bill completes its passage through Parliament
• driving improvements in the regulation of mortuaries – including an audit of over a decade of records to strengthen accountability

Many families have positive experiences of maternity and neonatal care, but tragically there have been too many cases of avoidable harm and tragic loss. Baroness Amos’s investigation explored the reasons why this has continued and what must now change.

It is vital that women who are currently accessing maternity or neonatal care raise any concerns they may have about themselves or their baby with their midwife – they are there to support you.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 29 June 2026.

BMA votes to accept offer that will see resident doctors benefit from new pay structure and better career-progression opportunities.

Resident doctors have voted to accept an offer from the government, bringing an end to a period of industrial action that has seen 21 days of strikes by the British Medical Association (BMA) resident doctors committee since July 2025.

The government will continue to engage closely with the BMA and other stakeholders to implement this deal and establish a new working relationship, to ensure the NHS remains a place where doctors can thrive and develop rewarding, long-term careers.  

The conclusion of strikes by resident doctors will allow the NHS to focus on supporting patients and improving working conditions for all staff, rather than managing disruptive industrial action. When unions and the government work together, patients, staff and services benefit.   

Health and Social Care Secretary James Murray said:

This is very good news for resident doctors, patients and the NHS as a whole, allowing us to draw a line under the disruption of previous months and focus on getting on with the job of rebuilding our health service.

Because of this deal, resident doctors will benefit from a new pay structure, better career progression opportunities and a range of other improved conditions to support them as they rotate and train. Patients will be relieved that the NHS is entering a period of greater stability.

But this is the beginning, not the end of the journey. I know there is much more to do, and I am determined to keep working constructively with resident doctors, all NHS staff and the unions who represent them to improve their working lives and together build a health service that is fit for the future.

The deal means resident doctor pay will be 35.2% higher on average compared to 4 years ago. They will also benefit from pay structure reform, leading to more frequent wage rises as they progress and gain new skills which benefit the health service. 

Up to 4,500 additional training places will also be created, giving more resident doctors the opportunity to progress in their careers to more senior roles. Competition rates for training places have already halved this year following action from the government to put in place urgent legislation to prioritise UK graduates and those who have spent a significant period in the NHS.

The deal will also put money back in resident doctors’ pockets through the reimbursement of mandatory Royal College portfolio fees and mandatory examinations costs, often worth thousands of pounds, and improve working conditions for locally employed doctors (LEDs) and those who work less than full time (LTFT). 

NHS National Medical Director Professor Frankie Swords said:

It’s great news for patients and the NHS that resident doctors have accepted this offer. This means the NHS can focus on providing high-quality care for patients, and the best working environment for all of our staff – including important improvements for resident doctors – and we can avoid further disruption from strikes.

As ever, staff are focused on the job of caring for patients, delivering record numbers of tests and checks despite facing record demand on services due to the warm weather.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of NHS staff, and despite repeated rounds of strike action, waiting lists are over 400,000 lower than in June 2024. The government is committed to building on the progress already made – cutting waiting lists further and continuing to improve conditions for the staff who make the NHS work, in partnership with them.

Each day of strike action by resident doctors costs the NHS around £50 million. The cost of settling this dispute is a fraction of the cost of ongoing industrial action by resident doctors and prevents thousands of appointments and procedures being cancelled on each day of strike action. 

The government is committed to improving working conditions for all NHS staff. The NHS Staff Council has been issued with a mandate to negotiate changes to the Agenda for Change pay structure, to ensure that nurses, midwives and paramedics are fairly compensated for the invaluable work they do.

The government has also been working constructively with trade unions to discuss options for consultant contract reform and specialty, associate specialists and specialist (SAS) career progression, in recognition of the valuable contribution of senior NHS doctors. 

Thanks to record investment, modernisation and the remarkable efforts of NHS staff across the country, we are making the NHS fit for the future.