Found: Baroness Amos: Yes, absolutely.

Found: Correspondence from the NMC- Baroness Amos Maternity Review Correspondence

Found: The actions this includes, and timeline for delivering this, will be determined once Baroness Amos’

Found: recent inquiry into the maternity units, for example, there you find in the report issued by Baroness Amos

Found: In England, Baroness Amos’ Maternity and Neonatal Investigation is due to publish a final report and

Found: Target implementation date: To be advised 25 4.9 Baroness Amos has confirmed to the Secretary of

Found: Target implementation date: To be advised 25 4.9 Baroness Amos has confirmed to the Secretary of

Found: Target implementation date: To be advised 25 4.9 Baroness Amos has confirmed to the Secretary of

Found: Target implementation date: To be advised 25 4.9 Baroness Amos has confirmed to the Secretary of

Found: Target implementation date: To be advised 25 4.9 Baroness Amos has confirmed to the Secretary of

Found: Target implementation date: To be advised 25 4.9 Baroness Amos has confirmed to the Secretary of

Found: the Independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England (led by Baroness Amos

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of whether venous thromboembolism-related maternal mortality differs by (a) ethnicity, (b)deprivation, (c) geography, (d)disability and (c) age.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether outcomes relating to venous thromboembolism in pregnancy will be routinely reported by demographic group.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure healthcare professionals understand the risks of venous thromboembolism in pregnancy and the puerperium, including failures to diagnose, prevent and assess risk.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of education on (a) blood clots and (b) venous thromboembolism in the undergraduate midwifery syllabus.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS maternity units currently have dedicated maternal medicine pathways for complex venous thromboembolism risk.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training requirements exist for maternity professionals on recognising thromboembolism in pregnancy and the puerperium.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides to help ensure that responsibility for prescribing anticoagulant prophylaxis in pregnancy and the puerperium is clear between GPs, maternity services and specialist teams.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the levels of awareness amongst women of when and how to seek assessment for (a) deep vein thrombosis and (b) pulmonary embolism during pregnancy and the postnatal period.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a national venous thromboembolism awareness campaign aimed at women during pregnancy and the postnatal period.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve awareness of the signs and symptoms of venous thromboembolism among (a) pregnant and postnatal women and (b) clinicians.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to (a) collect and (b) publish national data on the time taken to prescribe anticoagulant prophylaxis for pregnant women assessed as being at high risk of venous thromboembolism.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Department is taking to improve the identification of women at elevated risk of venous thromboembolism in early pregnancy and before their first consultant review.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review whether current national venous thromboembolism risk assessment tools in pregnancy and the puerperium are sufficiently evidence-based.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of variation between NHS trusts in access to thromboprophylaxis during (a) pregnancy and (b) the postnatal period.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of pregnant women receive a documented venous thromboembolism risk assessment following hospital admission in the most recent period for which data is available.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of women received a documented venous thromboembolism risk assessment postnatally in the most recent period for which data is available.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self-assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at their first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce additional information for women and their families about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what targeted interventions are in place to help reduce inequalities in maternal outcomes .

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Government is working closely with NHS England, and the wider sector, to identify the right actions and interventions to tackle the stark inequalities that exist for women and babies. We are ensuring that we take an evidence-based approach, and that any targets set are women and baby-centred.

On 30 June, Baroness Amos published her national independent report into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care. Her investigation found that women and families are not being listened to, accountability is not being delivered when things go wrong, and that racism and discrimination are driving inequalities in outcomes. We will take further action to tackle unacceptable inequalities affecting Black, Asian, and disadvantaged women from all backgrounds. The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which is comprised of family representatives, clinicians, and other experts, and chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will translate the recommendations from Baroness Amos’ investigation into a single, national action plan to drive systemic and sustained improvement across maternity and neonatal care.

We are already taking a range of immediate actions to address inequalities in maternal outcomes, including an inequalities dashboard, which brings together a range of inequalities metrics to allow NHS trusts to see data relating to disparities in one place to identify, understand, and eliminate disparities, rolling out the Perinatal Equity and Anti-Discrimination Programme to every maternity and neonatal service in England to tackle discrimination and racism, and we have launched a Maternal Care Bundle which includes best practice for clinical conditions that are the leading causes of death for women from Black and Asian backgrounds.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 19 June (HL946), given that access to independent investigation is not available to antepartum stillbirths or stillbirths before 37 weeks’ gestation, and depends upon estimated gestational age or retrospective clinical classification as antepartum or intrapartum, what safeguards exist to ensure that parents of stillborn babies are not denied access to independent investigation as a result of uncertainty or error in those assessments.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

All bereaved parents have the option to be involved in a high-quality review of the death of their baby, from 22 weeks' gestation up to 28 days post birth, through a perinatal mortality review. While this is carried out by the hospital or hospitals where the mother and baby were looked after, a national tool is in place, namely the national Perinatal Mortality Review Tool, to ensure such reviews are objective, robust, and standardised.

There are a range of views on how stillbirths should be investigated, and it is important that the Government’s conclusions on coronial investigations of stillbirths reflect the recommendations Baroness Amos has made through the final report of her independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care, and supports the most effective model for maternity investigations.

As recommended in Baroness Amos’ report, we will publish the Government’s response to the 2019 consultation, jointly with the Ministry of Justice, in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of pregnant women received a documented venous thromboembolism risk assessment in the first trimester in each of the last three years.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE. We will consider how the Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK’s recommendations feed into this work. We have committed to publishing a national action plan that translates the recommendations into action by December 2026.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce information about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of pregnant women have received a documented venous thromboembolism risk assessment at booking in each of the last three years.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE. We will consider how the Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK’s recommendations feed into this work. We have committed to publishing a national action plan that translates the recommendations into action by December 2026.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce information about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list which recommendations from the MBRRACE confidential enquiry into thrombosis and thromboembolism (a) have been implemented (b) remain outstanding.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE. We will consider how the Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK’s recommendations feed into this work. We have committed to publishing a national action plan that translates the recommendations into action by December 2026.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce information about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish a delivery plan and timeline for implementation of MBRRACE maternity recommendations.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE. We will consider how the Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK’s recommendations feed into this work. We have committed to publishing a national action plan that translates the recommendations into action by December 2026.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce information about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rise in maternal mortality identified by MBRRACE; and what actions has his Department taken specifically in response to maternal deaths from venous thromboembolism.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE. We will consider how the Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK’s recommendations feed into this work. We have committed to publishing a national action plan that translates the recommendations into action by December 2026.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce information about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons why the death rate due to venous thromboembolism in pregnancy and the puerperium is higher in the UK than in other European countries.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

We recognise the importance of tackling blood clots in pregnancy, also referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), as the leading cause of maternal death in England. The rate of maternal deaths from thrombosis and thromboembolism rose substantially between 2009 to 2011 and 2021 to 2023, from 1.26 to 2.13 per 100,000, in maternity, with rising rates of maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, and births by caesarean section likely contributing factors.

VTE is thought to occur in approximately one of 500 pregnancies, and the approach to minimising risk has therefore focused on universal risk assessment, targeted information, and preventative treatment for those considered to be at high risk. Last year, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK identified the need for improved VTE risk assessment, better pathways for rapid access to thromboprophylaxis in early pregnancy, and more robust training for clinicians.

NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle in January 2026, with the aim to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and reduce inequalities in these adverse outcomes. Element 1 requires the National Health Service to implement a new, simplified, national self assessment questionnaire on VTE risk, for all women at first NHS care contact with a positive pregnancy test, and ensure that those considered at highest risk have a discussion with a prescriber, and are offered low molecular weight heparin within 72 hours. Services have been asked through Element 1 of the Maternal Care Bundle to adopt Thrombosis UK’s early pregnancy blood clot risk questionnaire, which has information on the risk of VTE in pregnancy. All NHS trusts providing maternity services are responsible for fully implementing the Maternal Care Bundle by March 2027. This includes providing regular reports to the trust board on implementation.

All midwives are trained to discuss VTE symptoms with all women at the first contact in pregnancy and through to postnatal contacts, as part of the standard assessment process. Clinical guidance that directs their training includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s postnatal care guidance, reference code NG194, and Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, reference code NG89.

Baroness Amos’ final report of her independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation in England has recommended that the NHS commissions and delivers ‘antenatal education that reflects the realities of pregnancy and birth today’. The Government will work with the national Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce on the response to this recommendation, including on information women require regarding the risk of VTE. We will consider how the Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK’s recommendations feed into this work. We have committed to publishing a national action plan that translates the recommendations into action by December 2026.

Locally, some individual trusts also produce information about reducing the risk of blood clots and VTE in pregnancy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will provide funding to implement all outstanding actions outlined in the Ockenden report.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

NHS England continues to provide additional and recurrent funding to support National Health Service trusts to implement the Immediate and Essential actions set out in Donna Ockenden’s review into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust. This includes £185 million since 2021 to fund additional front line midwives, obstetricians, and specialist neonatal staff and to bring sustained improvements in our maternity and neonatal services.

A further £35 million is being invested over the three years from 2024 to support Maternity and Neonatal Voice Partnerships, training on neonatal resuscitation and brain injury, and new roles for newly qualified midwives.

Last year, the Government commissioned an independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, chaired by Baroness Amos, to bring together the findings from past reviews, including Ockenden’s review at Shrewsbury and Telford, as well as local investigations and evidence from families and staff into one clear national set of recommendations.

Baroness Amos published her final report on 30 June, and the Government’s Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will now translate her recommendations, as well as those national recommendations from the Independent Review of Nottingham maternity services, into a single, national action plan to drive systemic and sustained improvement across maternity and neonatal care. It will also hold the system to account for implementing the plan and improving outcomes and experiences for women, babies, families, as well as staff.

We are also taking immediate action, including investing £186 million to address critical safety risks across the maternity and neonatal estate, and £10.6 million to fund temporary roles for newly qualified midwives.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have made to include the National Bereavement Care Pathway for miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and molar pregnancy in mandatory guidance for the NHS.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In October 2025, NHS England set out the expectation, through the Medium Term Planning Framework, for trusts to implement the National Bereavement Care Pathway for stillbirth and neonatal death. In practice, some of these standards will also be applicable in the context of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and molar pregnancy, offering support for these women and families.

While miscarriage and other types of pregnancy loss were not explicitly covered in Baroness Amos’ final report into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care, she did make a recommendation around fundamentally reforming care, including through the development of a new modern service framework. The taskforce will consider all stages of maternity and neonatal care when developing its new national action plan, and we anticipate that the taskforce may wish to include pregnancy loss.

We are also working closely with NHS England to improve the availability of Early Pregnancy Assessment Units, and have extended the Baby Loss Certificate scheme, which provides recognition of pre-24-week loss.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that NHS Trusts comply with the National Bereavement Care Pathway for miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and molar pregnancy.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In October 2025, NHS England set out the expectation, through the Medium Term Planning Framework, for trusts to implement the National Bereavement Care Pathway for stillbirth and neonatal death. In practice, some of these standards will also be applicable in the context of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and molar pregnancy, offering support for these women and families.

While miscarriage and other types of pregnancy loss were not explicitly covered in Baroness Amos’ final report into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care, she did make a recommendation around fundamentally reforming care, including through the development of a new modern service framework. The taskforce will consider all stages of maternity and neonatal care when developing its new national action plan, and we anticipate that the taskforce may wish to include pregnancy loss.

We are also working closely with NHS England to improve the availability of Early Pregnancy Assessment Units, and have extended the Baby Loss Certificate scheme, which provides recognition of pre-24-week loss.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many major reviews into NHS maternity services have been undertaken since 2000.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

There have been six widely recognised major reviews into National Health Service maternity services since 2000, with the caveat that there is no definition of "major review”, which are as follows:

- the Morecambe Bay Investigation led by Bill Kirkup in 2015;

- National Maternity Review ("Better Births") led by Julia Cumberlege, 2015/16;

- the independent review of maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, led by Donna Ockenden, 2017 to 2022;

- East Kent Investigation ("Reading the Signals") led by Bill Kirkup, 2020 to 2022;

- Nottingham Maternity Review led by Donna Ockenden, 2022 to present; and

- the independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, led by Baroness Amos, 2025 to present.

There have also been two further reviews commissioned by the Government, which will be chaired by Donna Ockenden and underway this year:

- the independent review into maternity and neonatal care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; and

- the independent review into maternity and neonatal services at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of employment opportunities for newly qualified midwives; and what steps he is taking to ensure that qualified healthcare professionals are able to secure NHS employment in a timely manner.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise the difficulties newly qualified midwives are experiencing when they are seeking employment in the National Health Service. We are investing £10.6 million to fund an additional 1,000 temporary roles to help newly qualified midwives join the NHS. The new roles for graduates will help build on the success of the 2025 Graduate Guarantee that means every newly qualified midwife in England will have the opportunity to apply to join the NHS.

We will also shortly be publishing a 10-Year Workforce Plan, which will put the NHS workforce on a sustainable footing so it can deliver the service model set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

In addition to this work, the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which is comprised of family representatives, clinicians, and other experts, and chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will oversee the development of a new national action plan to drive systemic and sustained improvement across maternity and neonatal care. This follows the publication of the final recommendations of Baroness Amos’ independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether measures and mechanisms are in place for the new Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner to assess whether the views and concerns of women, families and frontline staff are being reflected in trust-level maternity and neonatal decision-making and service provision.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Government has announced that we will appoint the first ever Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner. This was one of Baroness Amos’ urgent actions from her national maternity and neonatal investigation final report. We accept that this is a crucial first step for us in overseeing systemic improvement to care and outcomes and earning back the trust of women and families.

The independent commissioner will have a crucial role in holding the system to account to deliver improvements in maternity and neonatal care, ensuring women’s voices are at the heart of everything we do. The scope and responsibilities of this role will be discussed urgently with the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce in the coming weeks.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what powers and responsibilities the new Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner will have to improve accountability and organisational culture within NHS trusts.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Government has announced that we will appoint the first ever Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner. This was one of Baroness Amos’ urgent actions from her national maternity and neonatal investigation final report. We accept that this is a crucial first step for us in overseeing systemic improvement to care and outcomes and earning back the trust of women and families.

The independent commissioner will have a crucial role in holding the system to account to deliver improvements in maternity and neonatal care, ensuring women’s voices are at the heart of everything we do. The scope and responsibilities of this role will be discussed urgently with the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce in the coming weeks.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve (a) maternity workplace cultures and (b) relationships between maternity staff and mothers.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

Maternity and neonatal services have been supported to improve workplace culture through the Perinatal Culture and Leadership Programme (PCLP), which all 152 perinatal sites participated in between October 2022 and March 2025. The programme promoted compassionate, inclusive, and collective leadership, and strengthened multidisciplinary working across obstetrics, midwifery, neonatology, and anaesthetics. An external evaluation demonstrated a meaningful contribution to strengthening relational leadership, improving understanding of local cultures, and creating the conditions for cultural improvement, although its wider and sustained impact has been constrained by operational pressures, structural barriers, and variable local ownership. Further information on the external evaluation is available at the following link:

https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/projects/perinatal-culture-and-leadership-programme-pclp

To follow on from the delivery of the PCLP, NHS England commissioned the network of Patient Safety Collaboratives from 2024 to 2026 to support perinatal leadership teams with the development, progression, and sustainability of their work culture. This support was tailored to local context and encouraged peer collaboration and sharing of good practice.

NHS England is also rolling out the Perinatal Equity and Anti-Discrimination Programme to every maternity and neonatal service in England. This multi-disciplinary culture change programme aims to tackle racism and discrimination, support fair and psychologically safe working environments for staff, and improve the experience of care for women, babies, and families.

Baroness Amos’ national independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care identified culture as a significant issue. The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which is comprised of family representatives, clinicians, and other experts, and chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will translate the recommendations from Baroness Amos’ investigation into a single, national action plan to drive systemic and sustained improvement across maternity and neonatal care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to ensure that (a) quality and (b) safety of maternity services are more (i) clearly and (ii) consistently reflected in CQC ratings.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is committed to strengthening its oversight of maternity services and has commissioned an independent developmental review to identify opportunities to improve how quality and safety are assessed and reflected in ratings, ensuring alignment with wider system reforms, including those set out in the 10‑Year Health Plan.

Feedback from the consultation published on the CQC’s website on their sector‑specific assessment frameworks also presents a further opportunity to improve how quality and safety are assessed and more consistently reflected in ratings for maternity services.

Findings from investigations and inquiries, including any recommendations from the Baroness Amos‑led Independent Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Services, alongside the CQC’s national inspection programme, from 2022 to 2023, and internal review, will inform the CQC’s longer‑term priorities for assessing and regulating maternity services.

Currently, where the CQC identifies breaches of regulations or concerns about the quality and safety of maternity services, it has a range of regulatory powers and may take action where necessary.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to produce a set of specific local recommendations for each trust included in the Amos review of maternity and neonatal care following the publication of the National recommendations.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, led by Baroness Amos, is bringing together the findings from past reviews, local investigations in selected trusts, and evidence from families and staff into one single set of national recommendations.

The Government’s Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will lead work to translate these recommendations into a national action plan and will hold the system to account to drive consistent improvement across all trusts.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Ministry of Justice on 12 March and 26 March (HC118173 and HC121720), what legal, evidential, or policy basis underpins the use of 37 weeks' gestation as the threshold for considering coronial oversight of stillbirths.

Answered by Baroness Levitt

I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to all parents bereaved by baby loss. Bereavement is never easy, but the loss of a child is particularly dreadful and we recognise the profound and lifelong impact this has on parents and families.

The independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care led by Baroness Amos set out in its terms of reference that it will look to understand the potential role of coroners in the investigation of late term stillbirths and identify mistakes which would help prevent future deaths. We want to ensure that the Government’s final conclusions on coronial investigation of stillbirths reflect any relevant findings and recommendations when the independent investigation makes. We will carefully consider next steps following the publication of the final report.

Chapter 5 of the 2019 Government consultation on the issue of extending the coronial jurisdiction to include stillbirths set out the rationale for focusing any potential legislative change on term and post- term stillbirths (37+ weeks), with reference to a range of evidential sources, including reports from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Each Baby Counts programme. The consultation asked for views on whether 37 weeks+ was the right parameter, and the Government’s factual summary of responses published in 2023 included a chapter on the responses to that question.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Ministry of Justice on 12 March and 26 March (HC118173 and HC121720), whether the use of 37 weeks' gestation as a threshold derives from the gestational categorisation used in the Each Baby Counts research programme.

Answered by Baroness Levitt

I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to all parents bereaved by baby loss. Bereavement is never easy, but the loss of a child is particularly dreadful and we recognise the profound and lifelong impact this has on parents and families.

The independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care led by Baroness Amos set out in its terms of reference that it will look to understand the potential role of coroners in the investigation of late term stillbirths and identify mistakes which would help prevent future deaths. We want to ensure that the Government’s final conclusions on coronial investigation of stillbirths reflect any relevant findings and recommendations when the independent investigation makes. We will carefully consider next steps following the publication of the final report.

Chapter 5 of the 2019 Government consultation on the issue of extending the coronial jurisdiction to include stillbirths set out the rationale for focusing any potential legislative change on term and post- term stillbirths (37+ weeks), with reference to a range of evidential sources, including reports from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Each Baby Counts programme. The consultation asked for views on whether 37 weeks+ was the right parameter, and the Government’s factual summary of responses published in 2023 included a chapter on the responses to that question.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Chair of the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation regarding the threshold from which coronial involvement in relation to stillbirths should apply, and specifically about whether that threshold should be (1) 24, or (2) 37, weeks.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The independent investigation in National Health Service maternity and neonatal care led by Baroness Amos set out in its terms of reference that it will look to understand the potential role of coroners in the investigation of late term stillbirths and identify mistakes which would help prevent future deaths.

The investigations terms for reference were agreed by Baroness Amos and ministers and published on 15 September 2025. The Department is aware that Baroness Amos is also looking at earlier stillbirths and this was reflected in her interim report.

The final report and recommendations of Baroness Amos’ independent investigation will be published on 30 June.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend that the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation will fulfil, in whole or in part, their obligations under Section 4 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The independent investigation in National Health Service maternity and neonatal care led by Baroness Amos set out in its terms of reference that it will look to understand the potential role of coroners in the investigation of late term stillbirths and identify mistakes which would help prevent future deaths.

The investigation will not fulfil obligations under Section 4 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019, as that is for Government. We want to ensure the Government’s final conclusions on coronial investigations of stillbirths reflect any relevant findings and recommendations the independent investigation makes. We will carefully consider next steps following the publication of the final report.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to set an explicit target to close the Black and Asian maternal mortality gap.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Government is working closely with NHS England, and the wider sector, to identify the right actions and interventions to tackle the stark inequalities that exist for women and babies. Within this, we are committed to setting an explicit target to close the Black and Asian maternal mortality gap. We are ensuring that we take an evidence-based approach, and that any targets set are women and baby centred.

This needs to be supported by actions to ensure it is achieved. Baroness Amos’ independent maternity investigation is looking into the drivers of inequalities and will make recommendations in June 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will be considering miscarriage care as part of its remit.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will translate the recommendations of Baroness Amos’ independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care into a national action plan. The Taskforce’s terms of reference sets out that all stages of the maternity and neonatal care pathway will be considered when developing its new national action plan, including miscarriage care. This may include issues not covered in Baroness Amos’ report.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the proposed national maternity and neonatal action plan will include specific measures to assess and support parent–infant relationships, particularly in the period prior to discharge from maternity and neonatal units.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will translate the recommendations of Baroness Amos’ independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care into a national action plan. The investigation’s final report will be published in June. While its final recommendations cannot be pre-empted, the taskforce’s terms of reference state that all aspects of maternity and neonatal care will be considered when developing its national action plan.

More widely, we are investing £200 million into the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies programme to strengthen Healthy Babies support in the critical 1,001 days, giving families access to enhanced perinatal mental health, parent-infant relationship, and infant feeding services, to help build the foundations for every baby’s emotional, social, and cognitive development.

On improving neonatal outreach, the NHS England Improving Postnatal Care Toolkit, published in January 2026 and available on the NHS.UK website, helps integrated care boards and local trusts optimise maternal and infant health. It requires commissioners to integrate neonatal and community care, reduce health inequalities, and recommends robust clinical handovers between neonatal units and local general practices and health visiting.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the proposed national maternity and neonatal action plan will include provisions to ensure continuity of care between discharge from neonatal units and community services, including health visiting and family hubs.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will translate the recommendations of Baroness Amos’ independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care into a national action plan. The investigation’s final report will be published in June. While its final recommendations cannot be pre-empted, the taskforce’s terms of reference state that all aspects of maternity and neonatal care will be considered when developing its national action plan.

More widely, we are investing £200 million into the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies programme to strengthen Healthy Babies support in the critical 1,001 days, giving families access to enhanced perinatal mental health, parent-infant relationship, and infant feeding services, to help build the foundations for every baby’s emotional, social, and cognitive development.

On improving neonatal outreach, the NHS England Improving Postnatal Care Toolkit, published in January 2026 and available on the NHS.UK website, helps integrated care boards and local trusts optimise maternal and infant health. It requires commissioners to integrate neonatal and community care, reduce health inequalities, and recommends robust clinical handovers between neonatal units and local general practices and health visiting.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on implementing the recommendations of the report Reading the Signals: Maternity and Neonatal Services in East Kent since its publication.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Following publication of Dr Bill Kirkup’s report, Reading the Signals: Maternity and Neonatal Services in East Kent, Dr Kirkup was appointed by the Department to develop concrete actions to implement the report’s recommendations. In this work, Dr Kirkup concluded that a national maternity plan was needed to oversee improvements in maternity and neonatal care.

The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, led by Baroness Amos, will also help us understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care. The investigation is bringing together the findings from past reviews, including East Kent, from local investigations of maternity and neonatal services in selected trusts, and evidence from families and staff into one clear national set of recommendations.

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will address the investigation’s final recommendations, tackling the recurrent systemic issues identified in the interim report, and will hold the system to account for improving outcomes and experiences for women, babies, and families, and staff experiences.

One of the recommendations of the East Kent report was to introduce a Maternity Outcomes Signal System (MOSS), which was launched in November 2025. The system is now being used by maternity services across England. MOSS monitors outcomes in near-real time to identify potential declines in the safety of maternity services, prompting timely action to reduce harm.

Additionally, to improve representation of maternity services on trust boards, all boards are required to have a board level Maternity Safety Champion and quarterly reports to the board providing comprehensive assessment of maternity and neonatal quality and safety.

NHS England has developed a new, mandated, intensive improvement offer for the most challenged National Health Service providers, the National Provider Improvement Programme, which assesses trusts based on:

• effective board and organisational leadership;

• effective and insightful governance arrangements;

• engaged staff; and

• a shared approach to, and capability for, improvement.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on implementing the 15 Immediate and Essential Actions set out in the final report of the Ockenden Review into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Ockenden review into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford hospital trust identified 15 Immediate and Essential Actions. Following its publication, NHS England wrote to all trusts and systems asking them to deliver the actions and report to their public boards.

The Three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services, developed in partnership with families and key stakeholders and published in 2023, brought together the immediate and essential actions from the Ockenden review with those from other reports and guidance. The National Health Service operational planning guidance in 2025/26 set out the expectation that trusts should implement the key actions from the plan. In accordance with the NHS operating framework, it is for integrated care boards to oversee local progress. The technical guidance which accompanied the plan sets out how NHS England has monitored progress of the three-year delivery plan implementation at a national level.

The national independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care, led by Baroness Amos, will also help us understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care. The investigation is bringing together the findings from past reviews, from local investigations of maternity and neonatal services in selected trusts, and evidence from families and staff into one clear national set of recommendations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to correspondence from the Chair of the Maternity and Neonatal Investigation confirming that the Investigation is not limited to 37 weeks’ gestation and considers stillbirth from 24 weeks onwards, what the Government's policy is on coronial investigation of stillbirths; and whether the Ministers agreed to a change in the Terms of Reference.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The independent investigation in National Health Service maternity and neonatal care led by Baroness Amos set out in its terms of reference that it will look to understand the potential role of coroners in the investigation of late term stillbirths, 37 weeks or later, and identify mistakes which would help prevent future deaths. The Terms of Reference for the Investigation were agreed by Baroness Amos and ministers and were published on 15 September 2025. The Department is aware that Baroness Amos was also looking at earlier stillbirths and this was also reflected in her interim report. We want to ensure the Government’s position on coronial investigations of stillbirths reflects any potential, relevant recommendations the independent investigation makes, and therefore await its final report and recommendations in June.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 23 March (HL15674), on the basis of what data they conclude "the vast majority of births in England are safe" when the Care Quality Commission have previously identified two-thirds of England’s maternity units as substandard.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data from the Office of National Statistics, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK, and Imperial College London show that death and serious harm in maternity care are relatively rare.

Data from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit’s national survey of maternal health and wellbeing shows that 84% of women reported satisfaction with their care during pregnancy, labour, and childbirth.

However, we are not complacent and know we must continue to drive improvement. Baroness Amos’ independent investigation into maternity and neonatal care will help us understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care. Her final report, including one coherent single set of national recommendations, will be published in June. We have also launched the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which will address the investigation’s final recommendations, tackling the recurrent systemic issues identified in the interim report, and hold the system to account for improving outcomes and experiences for women, babies and families, and staff experiences.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what new actions, not already in place prior to the establishment of the Maternity and Neonatal Investigation led by Baroness Amos, are being taken to reduce maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal mortality.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has implemented several initiatives since June 2025 aimed at reducing maternal deaths, stillbirths, and neonatal mortality. In December 2025, we introduced a new early warning system to monitor the rates of term stillbirth, neonatal death, and brain injury. It will immediately flag unusually high rates to prompt a rapid review of any safety concerns.

In January 2026, we rolled out the Maternal Care Bundle which provides guidance to tackle the leading causes of maternal death including thrombosis, mental health, epilepsy, and haemorrhage. We have also introduced the Maternity and Neonatal Improvement Support Team as a new national improvement offer providing intensive dedicated support to struggling trusts, to replace the Maternity Safety Support Programme which ended on 31 December 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 3rd March 2026 to question 115687, if he will ask Baroness Amos to consider the potential merits of appointing a Maternity Commissioner in the course of the Independent National Investigation into maternity and neonatal care.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation is independent, with the investigation’s terms of reference allowing Baroness Amos, in her role as Chair, to make recommendations as she sees fit.

The independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation is bringing together the findings from past reviews, from local investigations of maternity and neonatal services in selected trusts, and evidence from families and staff, and will develop and publish one clear national set of recommendations.

Baroness Amos and her team have met with hundreds of families as part of the local investigations, and a national call for evidence for women, families, and staff has recently concluded. Her final report will be published in June.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish a maternity strategy following the conclusion of the Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Baroness Amos has advised that the independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in June 2026.

The Government has launched a new National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The taskforce will address the recommendations of the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation by developing a new national action plan. This action plan will set out the Government’s strategic approach to driving improvements across maternity and neonatal care.

The taskforce will hold the system to account for implementing the plan, improving outcomes and experiences, and reducing inequalities for women, babies and families.

We want to end the cycle of recommendations that do not deliver the change that we know is needed.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to limit consideration of coronial investigations to stillbirths occurring at 37 weeks' gestation or later; and on what statutory basis gestational thresholds may be applied.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to all parents bereaved by baby loss. Bereavement is never easy, but the loss of a child is unimaginable, and we recognise the profound and lifelong impact this has on parents and families.

As I set out in my answer to the Right Honourable Member of 12 March, the wider landscape of maternity investigations has continued to evolve since the publication of the consultation on the coronial investigation of stillbirths in 2019 and the factual summary of responses published in 2023.

Most recently, this Government commissioned the independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care led by Baroness Amos. As outlined in the investigation’s terms of reference, it will, amongst other issues, look to consider the potential role of coroners in the investigation of late term stillbirths (37 weeks or later). We are aware that Baroness Amos has confirmed she will publish her final report in June 2026.

As I have previously confirmed to the Right Honourable Member, the Department has not made a formal assessment of the delay in publishing a decision in this area. It is important that the Government’s published position on coronial investigations of stillbirths is fully informed by any findings and relevant recommendations the independent investigation makes, and more broadly that it supports the most effective model for maternity investigation, one that strengthens learning, improves accountability and delivers better outcomes for families.

Section 4 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019 provides the statutory framework to enable, by way of regulation, amendments to be made to the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 in respect of the investigation of stillbirths and makes provisions about the content of those regulations.

The Government’s 2019 consultation, and the factual summary in 2023 were jointly published by the Department for Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice. The Government intends to communicate its position on this issue after the investigation has published its final report.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on whether the Maternity and Neonatal Investigation commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care will report to Parliament on coronial investigations of stillbirths following the 2019 consultation.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to all parents bereaved by baby loss. Bereavement is never easy, but the loss of a child is unimaginable, and we recognise the profound and lifelong impact this has on parents and families.

As I set out in my answer to the Right Honourable Member of 12 March, the wider landscape of maternity investigations has continued to evolve since the publication of the consultation on the coronial investigation of stillbirths in 2019 and the factual summary of responses published in 2023.

Most recently, this Government commissioned the independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care led by Baroness Amos. As outlined in the investigation’s terms of reference, it will, amongst other issues, look to consider the potential role of coroners in the investigation of late term stillbirths (37 weeks or later). We are aware that Baroness Amos has confirmed she will publish her final report in June 2026.

As I have previously confirmed to the Right Honourable Member, the Department has not made a formal assessment of the delay in publishing a decision in this area. It is important that the Government’s published position on coronial investigations of stillbirths is fully informed by any findings and relevant recommendations the independent investigation makes, and more broadly that it supports the most effective model for maternity investigation, one that strengthens learning, improves accountability and delivers better outcomes for families.

Section 4 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019 provides the statutory framework to enable, by way of regulation, amendments to be made to the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 in respect of the investigation of stillbirths and makes provisions about the content of those regulations.

The Government’s 2019 consultation, and the factual summary in 2023 were jointly published by the Department for Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice. The Government intends to communicate its position on this issue after the investigation has published its final report.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether responsibility for reporting to Parliament on coronial investigations of stillbirths following the 2019 consultation rests with his Department.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to all parents bereaved by baby loss. Bereavement is never easy, but the loss of a child is unimaginable, and we recognise the profound and lifelong impact this has on parents and families.

As I set out in my answer to the Right Honourable Member of 12 March, the wider landscape of maternity investigations has continued to evolve since the publication of the consultation on the coronial investigation of stillbirths in 2019 and the factual summary of responses published in 2023.

Most recently, this Government commissioned the independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care led by Baroness Amos. As outlined in the investigation’s terms of reference, it will, amongst other issues, look to consider the potential role of coroners in the investigation of late term stillbirths (37 weeks or later). We are aware that Baroness Amos has confirmed she will publish her final report in June 2026.

As I have previously confirmed to the Right Honourable Member, the Department has not made a formal assessment of the delay in publishing a decision in this area. It is important that the Government’s published position on coronial investigations of stillbirths is fully informed by any findings and relevant recommendations the independent investigation makes, and more broadly that it supports the most effective model for maternity investigation, one that strengthens learning, improves accountability and delivers better outcomes for families.

Section 4 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019 provides the statutory framework to enable, by way of regulation, amendments to be made to the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 in respect of the investigation of stillbirths and makes provisions about the content of those regulations.

The Government’s 2019 consultation, and the factual summary in 2023 were jointly published by the Department for Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice. The Government intends to communicate its position on this issue after the investigation has published its final report.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment the Department has made of the potential impact of the delay in reporting on coronial investigations of stillbirths following the 2019 consultation on bereaved families.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to all parents bereaved by baby loss. Bereavement is never easy, but the loss of a child is unimaginable, and we recognise the profound and lifelong impact this has on parents and families.

As I set out in my answer to the Right Honourable Member of 12 March, the wider landscape of maternity investigations has continued to evolve since the publication of the consultation on the coronial investigation of stillbirths in 2019 and the factual summary of responses published in 2023.

Most recently, this Government commissioned the independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care led by Baroness Amos. As outlined in the investigation’s terms of reference, it will, amongst other issues, look to consider the potential role of coroners in the investigation of late term stillbirths (37 weeks or later). We are aware that Baroness Amos has confirmed she will publish her final report in June 2026.

As I have previously confirmed to the Right Honourable Member, the Department has not made a formal assessment of the delay in publishing a decision in this area. It is important that the Government’s published position on coronial investigations of stillbirths is fully informed by any findings and relevant recommendations the independent investigation makes, and more broadly that it supports the most effective model for maternity investigation, one that strengthens learning, improves accountability and delivers better outcomes for families.

Section 4 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019 provides the statutory framework to enable, by way of regulation, amendments to be made to the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 in respect of the investigation of stillbirths and makes provisions about the content of those regulations.

The Government’s 2019 consultation, and the factual summary in 2023 were jointly published by the Department for Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice. The Government intends to communicate its position on this issue after the investigation has published its final report.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what analysis his department has undertaken of the staffing and capacity pressures identified in the Amos Review's interim report, and what options are being examined to support maternity and neonatal units facing these challenges.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to tackling the retention and recruitment challenges that face the National Health Service. This includes work in maternity and neonatal services to introduce a midwifery and nursing retention self-assessment tool, mentoring schemes, a Graduate Guarantee that has already delivered 700 additional roles for newly qualified midwives, and funded speciality training for neonatal nurses to have the additional skills they need to care for critically ill babies. In addition, the Department’s upcoming workforce plan will make sure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

Baroness Amos’ interim report details insights gathered so far in the national independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care. Evidence is still being collected and analysed, and a coherent single set of national recommendations will be published in June. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will chair a new National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce that will address the interim insights and final recommendations of the investigation, forming them into a national action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce (1) maternal deaths, and (2) stillborn and neonatal mortality rates.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

While the vast majority of births in England are safe, we know there is more to be done to reduce maternal deaths, stillborn, and neonatal mortality rates.

That is why my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, asked Baroness Amos to lead an independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care to help us understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care. The investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in June 2026.

The Government has also set up a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The taskforce will address the recommendations of the investigation by developing a new national action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.

We are not waiting to take action. We are rolling out guidance to tackle the leading causes of maternal death, introduced a new system that will monitor the rates of term stillbirth, neonatal death, and brain injury, and the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle is being implemented by trusts.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many responses were received to the staff survey conducted by the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation team that closed on 9 March 2026; how many NHS trusts in England were represented in the results; and what the breakdown of responses was by (a) profession and (b) clinical speciality.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Baroness Amos launched a call for evidence for those who work in the maternity and neonatal pathway, which closed on 9 March. The Department understands the Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation team has received more than 9,000 responses from across 124 trusts. A breakdown for responses by profession or clinical speciality is not yet available as evidence is still being analysed by the independent investigation team. This will be published in the final report. Information about how to access the workforce survey was distributed to all National Health Service trusts, and the investigation asked them to share the link to all maternity and neonatal staff groups, both clinical and non-clinical.

Evidence collection is still ongoing. When visiting the 12 local NHS trusts identified in the Terms of Reference, the investigation team conducted evidence panels with staff as well as reviewing maternity and neonatal facilities. Further evidence collection was conducted after the visits, including interviews with the senior executive team and one to one conversations offered to staff if they do not feel comfortable talking in a group. As of 26 February, the investigation had held 44 staff panels and completed 75 staff/executive interviews as part of the local reviews. The investigation is now in the process of undertaking interviews with national system leaders.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation team has held during its evidence gathering with a) frontline NHS maternity staff and b) staff representative organisations.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Baroness Amos launched a call for evidence for those who work in the maternity and neonatal pathway, which closed on 9 March. The Department understands the Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation team has received more than 9,000 responses from across 124 trusts. A breakdown for responses by profession or clinical speciality is not yet available as evidence is still being analysed by the independent investigation team. This will be published in the final report. Information about how to access the workforce survey was distributed to all National Health Service trusts, and the investigation asked them to share the link to all maternity and neonatal staff groups, both clinical and non-clinical.

Evidence collection is still ongoing. When visiting the 12 local NHS trusts identified in the Terms of Reference, the investigation team conducted evidence panels with staff as well as reviewing maternity and neonatal facilities. Further evidence collection was conducted after the visits, including interviews with the senior executive team and one to one conversations offered to staff if they do not feel comfortable talking in a group. As of 26 February, the investigation had held 44 staff panels and completed 75 staff/executive interviews as part of the local reviews. The investigation is now in the process of undertaking interviews with national system leaders.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the staff survey conducted by the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation team included all maternity and neonatal care professions, including maternity support workers.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Baroness Amos launched a call for evidence for those who work in the maternity and neonatal pathway, which closed on 9 March. The Department understands the Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation team has received more than 9,000 responses from across 124 trusts. A breakdown for responses by profession or clinical speciality is not yet available as evidence is still being analysed by the independent investigation team. This will be published in the final report. Information about how to access the workforce survey was distributed to all National Health Service trusts, and the investigation asked them to share the link to all maternity and neonatal staff groups, both clinical and non-clinical.

Evidence collection is still ongoing. When visiting the 12 local NHS trusts identified in the Terms of Reference, the investigation team conducted evidence panels with staff as well as reviewing maternity and neonatal facilities. Further evidence collection was conducted after the visits, including interviews with the senior executive team and one to one conversations offered to staff if they do not feel comfortable talking in a group. As of 26 February, the investigation had held 44 staff panels and completed 75 staff/executive interviews as part of the local reviews. The investigation is now in the process of undertaking interviews with national system leaders.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration his department has given to the Amos Review's interim report's findings that some women and families felt their concerns were not listened to during pregnancy and labour, and how this will inform future policy development.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In her interim report, Baroness Amos has identified a key issue of women and families being disregarded and not listened to during pregnancy and labour, repeatedly hearing from women and families about a lack of transparency, clear communication, and learning when things went wrong.

Unfortunately, too many women are not listened to by the National Health Service, and the Government has been clear that it is unacceptable. Health professionals need to listen to women and respond appropriately, and that is why we introduced Jess’s Rule and are rolling out Martha’s Rule to every acute hospital, which ensure patients get their voices heard and their concerns aren’t dismissed. We're putting women's voices at the heart of our renewed Women's Health Strategy, which will be published soon.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s maternity and neonatal taskforce will address the recommendations from the investigation when they are published in June, through the development of a national action plan. The taskforce will also hold the system to account for improving outcomes and experiences for women and babies. Families’ voices will be central to the taskforce.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the cultural and leadership issues referenced in the Baroness Amos' interim report; and whether those findings will inform future approaches to supporting maternity teams.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will be launched imminently. The taskforce will develop a national action plan to address the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation’s recommendations. The Department has been engaging with bereaved and harmed families and stakeholders on how the taskforce is set up, including the Terms of Reference and membership. It will be made up of a breadth of independent clinical and international expertise including those who can speak to the inequalities within maternal health, as well as family and staff representatives, charities and campaigners. The taskforce will work closely with families in developing the action plan, ensuring their voices are central to this work.

Previous reviews and research have provided a clear picture of the challenges facing maternity and neonatal services. The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation will bring together and prioritise all the existing recommendations, as well as the new evidence they are collecting. The investigation’s interim report details the insights gathered so far but much evidence is still being collected and analysed. Baroness Amos has advised that the investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in June.

Alongside this, the Government is taking immediate action to boost accountability and safety as part of the Government’s mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future. This includes measures to hold the system to account, a system to better identify safety concerns, rolling out a programme to all trusts to tackle discrimination and racism, and new best practice standards in maternal mortality.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in relation to the staff survey conducted by the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation team that closed on 9 March 2026, a) how many total responses were received, b) how many NHS trusts in England were represented in the results, and c) what the breakdown of responses was by profession or clinical speciality.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Baroness Amos launched a call for evidence for those who work in the maternity and neonatal pathway, which closed on 9 March. The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation team has received more than 8,500 responses from across 124 trusts. A breakdown for responses by profession or clinical speciality is not available as evidence is still being analysed.

Baroness Amos has advised that the independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in June.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration the Department has given to Baroness Amos' interim report’s findings regarding the limited progress on recommendations from previous maternity investigations, and how this will influence future review and implementation processes.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will be launched imminently. The taskforce will develop a national action plan to address the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation’s recommendations. The Department has been engaging with bereaved and harmed families and stakeholders on how the taskforce is set up, including the Terms of Reference and membership. It will be made up of a breadth of independent clinical and international expertise including those who can speak to the inequalities within maternal health, as well as family and staff representatives, charities and campaigners. The taskforce will work closely with families in developing the action plan, ensuring their voices are central to this work.

Previous reviews and research have provided a clear picture of the challenges facing maternity and neonatal services. The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation will bring together and prioritise all the existing recommendations, as well as the new evidence they are collecting. The investigation’s interim report details the insights gathered so far but much evidence is still being collected and analysed. Baroness Amos has advised that the investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in June.

Alongside this, the Government is taking immediate action to boost accountability and safety as part of the Government’s mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future. This includes measures to hold the system to account, a system to better identify safety concerns, rolling out a programme to all trusts to tackle discrimination and racism, and new best practice standards in maternal mortality.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish a response when the final part of the Amos Review has been delivered; and what preparatory work his Department has undertaken to respond to the anticipated recommendations.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will be launched imminently. The taskforce will develop a national action plan to address the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation’s recommendations. The Department has been engaging with bereaved and harmed families and stakeholders on how the taskforce is set up, including the Terms of Reference and membership. It will be made up of a breadth of independent clinical and international expertise including those who can speak to the inequalities within maternal health, as well as family and staff representatives, charities and campaigners. The taskforce will work closely with families in developing the action plan, ensuring their voices are central to this work.

Previous reviews and research have provided a clear picture of the challenges facing maternity and neonatal services. The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation will bring together and prioritise all the existing recommendations, as well as the new evidence they are collecting. The investigation’s interim report details the insights gathered so far but much evidence is still being collected and analysed. Baroness Amos has advised that the investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in June.

Alongside this, the Government is taking immediate action to boost accountability and safety as part of the Government’s mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future. This includes measures to hold the system to account, a system to better identify safety concerns, rolling out a programme to all trusts to tackle discrimination and racism, and new best practice standards in maternal mortality.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for publication of the final findings of the independent maternity services investigation.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Baroness Amos has advised that the independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in June.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to identify and tackle systemic causes of avoidable harm in maternity and neonatal services.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

While the vast majority of births in England are safe, we know that systemic causes of avoidable harm exist in maternity and neonatal services, and this is not acceptable.

This is why my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, asked Baroness Amos to lead an independent investigation in National Health Service maternity and neonatal care to help us understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care. The investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in June 2026.

The Government is also setting up a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The taskforce will address the recommendations of the investigation by developing a new national action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care. The taskforce will also hold the system to account for improving outcomes and experiences for women and babies.

We are not waiting to take action. We have already recruited over 800 more midwives, we’re investing over £140 million to address critical safety risks on the maternity estate, and we are rolling out guidance to tackle the leading causes of maternal death. We are also rolling out programmes to tackle discrimination and racism and avoidable brain injuries.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Amos Review interim report's findings regarding reports of racism and stereotyping in maternity and neonatal services; and what steps are being considered to respond to these issues.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The interim report of the national independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care, chaired by Baroness Amos, underlines the unacceptable experiences of some women and their families due to racism and discrimination.

The investigation aims to identify the drivers and impact of inequalities faced by women, babies and families from Black and Asian backgrounds as well as deprived and marginalised groups. A coherent single set of national recommendations will be published by the investigation in June, which the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will address by developing a new action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.

We are not waiting for the investigation to report. We are taking immediate actions, including a programme in all trusts to tackle discrimination and racism, while local systems are all implementing their Equity and Equality action plans. We have also launched a ‘Maternal Care Bundle’ which includes best practice for clinical conditions that are the leading causes of death for women from Black and Asian backgrounds.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish a report under section 4 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019 on whether, and if so how, the law ought to be changed to enable or require coroners to investigate stillbirths; what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the absence of a published position on (a) accountability, (b) learning and (c) the prevention of future deaths; and if he will make an assessment of the reasons for the timing of the publication of the report.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to all parents bereaved by baby loss. Bereavement is never easy, but the loss of a child is unimaginable, and we recognise the profound and lifelong impact this has on parents and families.

As I have previously set out in correspondence with the Right Honourable Member, the wider landscape of maternity investigations has continued to evolve since the publication of the consultation on the coronial investigation of stillbirths in 2019 and the factual summary of responses published in 2023.

Most recently, this Government commissioned the independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care led by Baroness Amos. As outlined in the investigation’s terms of reference, it will, amongst other issues, look to consider the potential role of coroners in the investigation of late term stillbirths (37 weeks or later).

The Department has not made a formal assessment of the delay in publishing a decision in this area. It is important that the Government’s published position on coronial investigations of stillbirths is informed by any findings and relevant recommendations the independent investigation makes, and more broadly supports the most effective model for maternity investigation, including on vital issues such as learning and accountability. We intend to communicate our position on this issue after the investigation has published its final report in June 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for publication of interim and final findings from the independent maternity services investigation.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

On the 26 February Baroness Amos published her interim report on the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, and the final report and recommendations will follow in Spring 2026.

The Government is also setting up a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The taskforce will address the recommendations of the investigation by developing a new national action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.

NHS maternity services

NHS maternity services

Found: Baroness Amos examined the experiences of thousands of women, their families and staff, alongside local

Found: Taskforce, chaired by the Secretary of State, bringing together the findings of this review and Baroness Amos

Found: Taskforce, chaired by the Secretary of State, bringing together the findings of this review and Baroness Amos

Found: The Secretary of State has also: ordered a national maternity investigation, chaired by Baroness Amos

Found: The Secretary of State has also: Ordered a national maternity investigation, chaired by Baroness Amos

Found: Taskforce will act on the recommendations of Baroness Amos’ review due this June Experts including families

Found: including a rapid national investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England led by Baroness Amos

Found: On 26 February 2026, Baroness Amos published an interim report.

Found: On 26 February 2026, Baroness Amos published an interim report.

Found: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care appointed Baroness Amos to lead the independent investigation

Found: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care appointed Baroness Amos to lead the independent investigation

Found: Target implementation date: To be advised 25 4.9 Baroness Amos has confirmed to the Secretary of

Found: Target implementation date: To be advised 25 4.9 Baroness Amos has confirmed to the Secretary of

Found: Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to support the urgent national maternity review led by Baroness Amos

Found: Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to support the urgent national maternity review led by Baroness Amos

Found: stark health inequalities and maternal mortality disparities, contributing expert evidence to Baroness Amos

Found: stark health inequalities and maternal mortality disparities, contributing expert evidence to Baroness Amos

Found: REEG met with Baroness Amos and Dr Christine Ekechi to provide evidence to the National Maternity and

Found: Baroness Amos examined the experiences of thousands of women, their families and staff, alongside local

Found: Taskforce, chaired by the Secretary of State, bringing together the findings of this review and Baroness Amos

Found: Taskforce, chaired by the Secretary of State, bringing together the findings of this review and Baroness Amos

Found: Baroness Amos has also served as UK High Commissioner to Australia and was the United Nations Under

Found: Baroness Amos has also served as UK High Commissioner to Australia and was the United Nations Under

Found: Publication of Baroness Amos’ independent investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England

Found: Baroness Amos has also served as UK High Commissioner to Australia and was the United Nations Under