‘There will be consequences for Chairs and Trust boards for maternity failures.’ That was the message from the Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, as he addressed a room full of NHS leaders today.
At a first-of-its-kind summit on maternity and neonatal safety hosted by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) as part of its work with the Progress in Partnership group, the Health Secretary pulled no punches as he described how he plans to tackle the maternity safety crisis in England.
The summit was aimed at Chief Executives and Chairs of NHS Trusts, Boards, and Integrated Care Boards to support them in addressing the safety crisis facing maternity and neonatal care.
Chaired by Sunday Times Health Editor Shaun Lintern, Shaun asked the Health and Social Care Secretary What was his diagnosis of maternity services at the moment?
Wes Streeting responded:
“Maternity services are in a bad place now, bad for those using them and bad for staff. However, today and every other day there are excellent examples of good maternity care. Even in those services that have hit the headlines there will have women and families saying they have had a good experience. There has been a failure of leadership, failure of morals and ethics that cannot be ignored. Spending time with families over the past year and hearing their experiences and how the NHS has responded to them when things have gone wrong, or in some cases not. People who are paid more than me in the NHS – could not find the time to meet those bereaved families. In a world where we are trying to devolve more power, I need every Board Chair to be my eyes and ears and take more accountability.”
On the issue of understaffing and how we will improve maternity services without enough staff, Wes Streeting, said: “If you aren’t giving people the tools to do the job, it inflicts moral injuries on staff. When you go home at the end of the day and know that your best wasn’t good enough, through no fault of your own, it’s demoralising, you are going to leave the service. This is exactly what we don’t want to continue happening. Of course, I’m worried about retention and recruitment in maternity services. I worry that there is so much negative press about our maternity services that it will putt future midwives and maternity staff off applying for jobs.”
On the issue of improving working cultures to improve safety, the RCM and RCOG says they are pleased the Health Secretary has acknowledged that staff and services need to better be supported to get this right. The RCM has long said poor working environments and cultures not only negatively impact both staff wellbeing, but the quality of care being provided to women and families. We need to create cultures where staff feel comfortable raising concerns, where concerns are addressed effectively, and where there is a commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
Commenting, the RCM’s Chief Executive, Gill Walton said:
“We are so pleased to have been able to bring together so many NHS leaders from across England today, to give them an opportunity to hear directly from the Secretary of State and ask him questions. It’s also been positive to hear assurances that the Rapid Review into maternity safety in England will get underway in August. Equally, to hear that Wes Streeting himself will Chair the maternity Taskforce is positive. Today’s event was all about supporting senior decision-makers in NHS Trusts, Boards and ICBs to make the right choices for the women and families that rely on them for care, and the staff that are providing that care. It’s also great to hear the learning that has been shared, that’s what we want, more sharing of good practice and successes to support the maternity safety improvement drive.”
Ranee Thakar, co-chair of Progress in Partnership and President of the RCOG, said:
“We welcomed the Secretary of State today reiterating his personal commitment to bringing women and families, maternity staff, and NHS leaders together to set the path towards lasting improvements. By acknowledging and learning from where things have gone wrong, we can re-build a compassionate maternity system that provides world-class care.
“It was great to see committed NHS leaders join today’s Summit focused on turning insight into action. Trust Boards are key to this but, alongside being accountability for progress, we must see Trusts offered the right support and tools to deliver safe and personalised care. We were encouraged by the Secretary of State’s comments that improving maternity estates and tackling workforce shortages are absolutely part of improving things for women and babies.”
During the summit delegates also heard from experts in the field and from teams around the country who presented solutions that are already improving outcomes for women and families. While Sir Jeremy Hunt, former Health Secretary and now chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Patient Safety gave the closing keynote address.
ENDS
For interview requests email media@rcm.org.uk or call the media relations team on 07848014764
Notes to Editors
**Photo credit to Kate Darkins**
Progress in Partnership, formerly the Independent Working Group on Maternity & Neonatal Safety, was established following the Ockenden Review of maternity services at Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals Trust in 2022 as part of the review’s recommendations. Its aim is to provide a voice for frontline workers on safety in maternity and neonatal care.
Progress in Partnership members are:
- Royal College of Midwives (co-chair)
- Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (co-chair)
- Royal College of Anaesthetists
- Royal College of General Practitioners
- Royal College of General Practitioners
- Royal College of General Practitioners
- Institute of Health Visiting
- Institute of Health Visiting
- Institute of Health Visiting
- Neonatal Nurses Association
- British Association of Perinatal Medicine
- Society of Radiographers
About the RCM
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is the only trade union and professional association dedicated to serving midwifery and the whole midwifery team. We provide workplace advice and support, professional and clinical guidance, and information, and learning opportunities with our broad range of events, conferences, and online resources. For more information visit the RCM | A professional organisation and trade union dedicated to serving the whole midwifery team.
