Maternity Commissioner

Baroness Manzoor Excerpts

Wednesday 4th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

This comes to the absolute centre of the problem. The different health structures around the country represent very different communities and it is essential that those health services are tailored to meet the needs of their communities. The inequalities, for example, and the difference in maternal death figures between ethnic-minority backgrounds speak to the point that we must make sure that the staff working in those areas are clear about the challenges that are faced. I am afraid that practice has not been good enough in this area, but consistency and oversight—making sure that if there are problems, they are flagged and rapid reviews can go in straightaway to deal with them—will be essential.

[Baroness Manzoor (Con)]

My Lords, the Minister is a Yorkshire woman, as am I, and she will know that Leeds general hospital, one of the biggest teaching hospitals in the UK, has had dreadful maternity services and a review was meant to be established. There still is no chair for that review. What is happening in relation to that? If that is the pace of change that we are going to see, it does not bode well for the future.

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I start by declaring an interest: I was born in one of the hospitals there and three of my Leeds-based grandchildren have been born there relatively recently. Of course, it is of concern, particularly for the country; I think it is the largest teaching hospital in Europe. I want to reassure the noble Baroness that the parents have been down to visit the Secretary of State in the past week, and on their mind was exactly the issue she raises about the review and who will chair it. I can tell noble Lords across the House that this is being taken very seriously, and they will be kept in the loop on how it progresses.