Bereaved parents urge Wes Streeting to launch Statutory Public Inquiry into maternity safety

A group of bereaved parents from the Maternity Safety Alliance (MSA), whose babies died due to failings in NHS maternity care, have called on the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, to initiate a statutory public inquiry into maternity safety in England. The request followed a meeting between Streeting and families affected by maternity scandals in hospitals across the country, including in Nottingham, Leeds, Barnsley, Oxford, Birmingham, and Hampshire.

During a meeting on 17 June, the families urged Streeting to abandon his proposed maternity reform plans, which the group labelled “dangerous” and deeply flawed.

The parents criticised Streeting’s now-shelved plan for failing to address what they see as the core drivers of unsafe care in maternity units: a toxic clinical culture that disregards women, systemic leadership failures, and corruption within the NHS.

Following the meeting, the MSA reported that Streeting had agreed to drop the proposed measures and return to the drawing board. They now urge him to take the next critical step: order a statutory public inquiry into maternity safety across England, and consider trust-specific inquiries where necessary.

In a joint statement, the MSA said:

“We are relieved that the flawed plan has been scrapped. It shows how far those in charge are from understanding the severity of the crisis. We believe Wes Streeting is beginning to grasp the gravity of the situation, and we now need him to act. Only a statutory public inquiry can bring the truth to light, hold those responsible to account, and ensure that no more families suffer as we have.”

This call comes following increasing levels of public concern over maternity care in England in recent years. In January 2025, Streeting described preventable deaths in NHS maternity units as “unimaginable tragedies” and pledged to prioritise maternity safety. Yet his department’s recent reduction of ringfenced maternity funding from £95 million to £2 million sparked widespread criticism from professional bodies and campaigners alike.

The MSA’s demand places renewed pressure on the government to demonstrate a genuine commitment to reform — one that, in their words, “puts mothers and babies before institutional reputation.”

At Ashtons Legal, we are proud to represent many families who have lost their babies due to negligence. We wholeheartedly support the MSA’s call for a public inquiry into maternity care, and hope that this week’s meetings mark the first step on a path towards improved safety for mothers and babies.