FOURTEEN NHS trusts are to have their maternity services examined over what has been described as "failures in the system", including Yeovil District Hospital.
The inquiries are part of a rapid, independent, national investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England.
This was announced in June by Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting after the government inherited systemic problems in maternity and neonatal care dating back over 15 years.
Baroness Amos’ investigation will "put families at the heart of the work" and affected families were asked to provide input to the draft terms of reference of the investigation.
The Terms of Reference have been developed to focus on understanding the experiences of affected women and families, identifying lessons learned and driving the improvements needed to ensure high quality and safe maternity and neonatal care across England.
It comes alongside a package of immediate actions to improve care, including greater intervention by the Secretary of State and NHS Chief Executive to hold failing trusts to account - a key step in delivering the government’s mission to build an NHS fit for the future through the Plan for Change.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: "Bereaved families have shown extraordinary courage in coming forward to help inform this rapid national investigation alongside Baroness Amos.
"What they have experienced is devastating, and their strength will help protect other families from enduring what they have been through.
“I know that NHS maternity and neonatal workers want the best for these mothers and babies, and that the vast majority of births are safe and without incident, but I cannot turn a blind eye to failures in the system.
"Every single preventable tragedy is one too many. Harmed and bereaved families will be right at the heart of this investigation to ensure no-one has to suffer like this again.”
The investigation will urgently look at a range of services across the entire maternity system, following independent reviews across multiple trusts that have revealed a pattern of similar failings: women's voices ignored, safety concerns overlooked, and poor leadership creating toxic cultures.
The Health and Social Care Secretary and Baroness Amos have agreed the terms of reference of the independent investigation, which will include understanding the lived experiences of families, reviewing the quality and safety of services, identifying the drivers and impact of inequalities and identifying barriers to making improvements.
Following its conclusion, she will deliver one clear set of national recommendation to achieve consistently high-quality, safe maternity and neonatal care, with interim recommendations delivered in December 2025.
Baroness Valerie Amos said: “It is vital that the voices of mothers and families are at the heart of this investigation from the very beginning.
“Their experiences – including those of fathers and non-birthing partners – will guide our work and shape the national recommendations we will publish. We will pay particular attention to the inequalities faced by Black and Asian women and by families from marginalised groups, whose voices have too often been overlooked.
“Our aims are to ensure the lived experiences of affected families are fully heard, to conduct and publish 14 local investigations of maternity and neonatal services, and to develop recommendations informed by these that will drive improvements across maternity and neonatal services nationwide.”
The 14 trusts announced today have been chosen for investigation based on a range of factors.
These include data and metrics, such as the CQC maternity patient survey and MBRRACE-UK perinatal mortality rates, as well as criteria to determine a diverse mix of trusts:
Variation in case mix
- Trust type
- Geographic coverage
- Provision of care to individuals from diverse backgrounds, including consideration of social, economic and racial inequalities
- Family feedback
- Three trusts – Shrewsbury and Telford, East Kent Hospitals and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay – have been chosen where previous investigations have taken place and learnings from these will be incorporated in this new investigation.
The 14 NHS trusts are:
- Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Oxford University Hospital
- Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
- Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
- The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
- University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
- Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust / Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
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Kate Brintworth, Chief Midwifery Officer for England said: “This independent investigation is a crucial step in driving meaningful change in maternity and neonatal care, and the diverse range of trusts selected – including where previous investigations have taken place to incorporate learnings– will provide valuable insight to help teams across the country improve care for women, babies and families.
“I want to reassure women and families that staff are continuing to work hard to provide the best possible care and want to do everything they can to support them – we would encourage them talk to their midwives and maternity teams if they have any concerns.”
The investigation will run alongside a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce – set up and chaired by the Health and Social Care Secretary and made up of a panel of esteemed experts and families - to keep up momentum and deliver change.
This investigation seeks to address several issues facing maternity care in England – including the devastating inequalities facing women from Black, Asian and deprived backgrounds face, and wider concerns over a lack of compassionate care and safety.
Adam Dance, Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil, said: “Families in Somerset will understandably be concerned to see Yeovil District Hospital included in this national review of maternity care. It is vital that the voices of parents and staff are fully heard, and that lessons are finally acted upon.
“I am pleased that the Health Secretary has listened to the concerns I and others have raised, and that Yeovil has been included in this review. This shows just how serious the challenges are, but it also underlines the need for trust management to be open and transparent with the community. I welcome the recent commitment to reopen Yeovil’s maternity unit, but families still need clear timelines and stronger communication to rebuild confidence.
“Expectant parents deserve to know that services will be safe, compassionate and reliable when they return. My priority is making sure that happens, and I will continue to hold the Trust and Government to account until it does.”
In response to the announcement, Peter Lewis, chief executive of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We have received notification that our trust is to be part of the national independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services that was announced by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in June.
“We welcome this opportunity to take part in an investigation that will drive further improvements in our own services and improvements in care in England. Maternity and neonatal services are central to a very important time in any family’s life and we are committed to continuing to improve our services.
“We have been on an improvement journey since the maternity services at Yeovil District Hospital (YDH) and Musgrove Park Hospital (MPH) were inspected by the Care Quality Commission in November 2023 and rated inadequate. Colleagues have worked exceptionally hard and we have completed and embedded 94% of the actions in our improvement plan.
“This is a further opportunity to get feedback on our services and make further improvements and we welcome it."
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