- Baroness Valerie Amos has been appointed by the Health and
Social Care Secretary to lead the national maternity and neonatal
investigation.
- The review will identify ways to urgently improve care and
safety.
- Bereaved and harmed families will be central to the
investigation, including working with the Chair to shape her team
of expert advisors and the terms of reference.
has been selected to lead the
independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care to
drive urgent improvements to care and safety.
She was selected by Health and Social Care Secretary by direct ministerial appointment after feedback
from bereaved families who expressed a preference for someone
with distance from the NHS who is able to bring a fresh pair of
eyes to the role.
The Secretary of State has been meeting regularly with bereaved
and harmed families, let down by maternity and neonatal services
across the country, including in some of the worst affected
trusts. From hearing their stories, he ordered a rapid national
investigation, to drive urgent improvements which will address
systemic problems dating back over 15 years.
is currently Master of
University College, Oxford, and brings a wealth of experience as
a previous UK Government minister and senior official at the
United Nations.
She will be supported by a team of esteemed expert advisors, who
will be selected following further engagement with families.
Health and Social Care Secretary said:
I have been appalled by the many harrowing stories I've heard
from mothers and fathers let down by the NHS.
Families asked for fresh eyes, independence and compassion - and
that's why I've appointed . Valerie has an outstanding
record of leadership and driving change - nationally and
internationally. She will work closely with families to uncover
the truth, confront problems and drive the improvements needed so
every woman and baby receives safe, high-quality care.
Through our Plan for Change, we will rebuild the NHS to ensure no
family suffers like this again.
Baroness Valerie Amos said:
I will carry the weight of the loss suffered by families with me
throughout this investigation. I hope that we will be able to
provide the answers that families are seeking and support the NHS
in identifying areas of care requiring urgent reform.
The investigation was announced by the Secretary of State in June
2025 and will look at up to 10 services in the country. It
will also review the maternity and neonatal system, bringing
together the findings of past reviews into one clear national set
of actions to ensure every woman and baby receives safe,
high-quality and compassionate care.
It will begin its work this summer and produce an initial set of
national recommendations by December 2025.
The 10 maternity and neonatal units will be decided by and her team, alongside the
terms of reference of the investigation, which are being
developed with the families who have experiences of maternity and
neonatal care, including those in Leeds, Sussex, Nottingham and
more.
The investigation is separate from the National Maternity and
Neonatal Taskforce, which will be made up of a panel of esteemed
experts and families, and chaired by the Secretary of State for
Health and Social Care, to keep up momentum and deliver change.
Whilst the majority of mothers and families do have positive
experiences of maternity and neonatal care, tragically there have
been profound cases of failure, avoidable harm and loss that
should never have happened. This investigation will explore why -
and help drive lasting change to ensure every family receives the
safe, compassionate care they deserve.
