BBK Manifesto 2026: Demand real change with a statutory maternity inquiry

Since our last Manifesto, we have seen the publication of two inquiries into maternal health. Donna Ockenden’s review into 2,500 cases of maternal and neonatal harm at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust found significant failures in leadership, culture and patient safety. Baroness Amos’s Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, published shortly afterwards, looked at 12 NHS trusts and identified the systemic issues affecting maternity services nationally, making recommendations for long-term reform across England. 

Despite this, many families fear that the evidence and recommendations contained in these reports will not create the fundamental change needed to prevent future harm. This is why we’re supporting these families and calling for a statutory nationwide inquiry into maternity care. 

A national crisis needing urgent action

The Government has established a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to turn Baroness Amos’s recommendations into action, with a national action plan due to be published in December 2026.  

While Baroness Amos’s recommendations are a welcome acknowledgement that change is needed, they do not go far enough – or move quickly enough – to tackle the deep-rooted cultural issues that continue to undermine maternity safety. With repeated maternity scandals exposing similar failures across the NHS, and Donna Ockenden warning that urgent action is needed, many families feel the response still lacks the pace and scale required to address what is increasingly being viewed as a national crisis. 

While the commitment to a national action plan is positive, waiting until December for its publication risks further delaying meaningful reform at a time when families are demanding answers and accountability now. Concerns have also been raised about whether the scale of the challenge can realistically be addressed through the current review structures alone. 

We believe a national maternity inquiry is now essential. Across every major maternity scandal, the same heartbreaking pattern has emerged: families raised concerns, felt ignored and were too often denied answers when things went wrong. Despite repeated reviews exposing serious failings and avoidable harm, accountability has remained limited and the same issues continue to surface in different parts of the country. 

The Nottingham review has further highlighted the limitations of the current approach. When senior leaders can refuse to engage fully with investigations, it becomes impossible to understand why warnings from families, frontline staff, regulators and external reviewers were not acted upon and why opportunities to prevent harm were missed. 

A national public inquiry would have the powers needed to compel witnesses, examine evidence openly and identify the systemic and cultural factors that have allowed these tragedies to occur. Families deserve more than apologies and piecemeal reviews. They deserve the truth, accountability and confidence that lessons will finally be learned. 

What this inquiry must deliver

The national inquiry is not the finish line. It is the starting point for a safer and fairer maternity system. 

It must: 

• Compel witnesses to give evidence, including current and former senior leaders who may not have participated in previous reviews. 

• Listen to the voices of families with lived experience. 

• Hold trusts and individuals fully accountable for preventable harm. 

• Address systemic safety issues across the NHS, not only in isolated trusts. 

• Prioritise equity in care, particularly for Black and minority ethnic mothers. 

• Deliver binding recommendations and a clear implementation framework to ensure lessons are acted upon rather than repeated. 

We have seen numerous reports and reviews into maternity services deliver similar recommendations. Only a national inquiry can fully expose the root causes of repeated maternity failures and drive the fundamental cultural and leadership change needed to ensure no more mothers, babies and families suffer avoidable harm. 

This blog is part of our 2026/27 Manifesto for Injured People. At Bolt Burdon Kemp, we support injured people not only by winning their cases but by driving positive change. Guided by our clients’ experiences and partnerships with charities across the UK, we are raising awareness of the changes needed to better support injured people. We will continue working with politicians from all parties to ensure injured people’s needs are not overlooked in Westminster or beyond. You can read our full manifesto here.