health
England to get powerful maternity commissioner after 'shocking' failings
Health secretary announces move after Amos review finds childbirth and neonatal care in need of 'urgent reform'
TL;DR
- A powerful maternity commissioner will be appointed in England to reform childbirth and neonatal care.
- The decision follows a government-commissioned inquiry led by Valerie Amos, which found the system to be characterized by poor care, failure to listen to women, racism, and discrimination.
- The commissioner will pursue hospitals for failures, ensure improvements, and work to restore public faith.
- The Amos report's key recommendations include overhauling maternity triage services, granting families the right to independent investigations, replacing the current compensation system with one where hospitals admit errors, and rooting out racism and discrimination.
- The report also noted that many previous recommendations for maternity care improvement have not been implemented, and some maternity units are now unsafe.
- While stillbirths and neonatal deaths are at near-record lows, progress has stalled since 2020.