- Baroness Valerie Amos has been appointed by the Health and Social Care Secretary to lead the national maternity and neonatal investigation.
- The review will identify ways to urgently improve care and safety.
- Bereaved and harmed families will be central to the investigation, including working with the Chair to shape her team of expert advisors and the terms of reference.
Baroness Amos has been selected to lead the independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care to drive urgent improvements to care and safety.
She was selected by Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting by direct ministerial appointment after feedback from bereaved families who expressed a preference for someone with distance from the NHS who is able to bring a fresh pair of eyes to the role.
The Secretary of State has been meeting regularly with bereaved and harmed families, let down by maternity and neonatal services across the country, including in some of the worst affected trusts. From hearing their stories, he ordered a rapid national investigation, to drive urgent improvements which will address systemic problems dating back over 15 years.
Baroness Amos is currently Master of University College, Oxford, and brings a wealth of experience as a previous UK Government minister and senior official at the United Nations.
She will be supported by a team of esteemed expert advisors, who will be selected following further engagement with families.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
I have been appalled by the many harrowing stories I’ve heard from mothers and fathers let down by the NHS.
Families asked for fresh eyes, independence and compassion – and that’s why I’ve appointed Baroness Amos. Valerie has an outstanding record of leadership and driving change – nationally and internationally. She will work closely with families to uncover the truth, confront problems and drive the improvements needed so every woman and baby receives safe, high-quality care.
Through our Plan for Change, we will rebuild the NHS to ensure no family suffers like this again.
Baroness Valerie Amos said:
I will carry the weight of the loss suffered by families with me throughout this investigation. I hope that we will be able to provide the answers that families are seeking and support the NHS in identifying areas of care requiring urgent reform.
The investigation was announced by the Secretary of State in June 2025 and will look at up to 10 services in the country. It will also review the maternity and neonatal system, bringing together the findings of past reviews into one clear national set of actions to ensure every woman and baby receives safe, high-quality and compassionate care.
It will begin its work this summer and produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025.
The 10 maternity and neonatal units will be decided by Baroness Amos and her team, alongside the terms of reference of the investigation, which are being developed with the families who have experiences of maternity and neonatal care, including those in Leeds, Sussex, Nottingham and more.
The investigation is separate from the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which will be made up of a panel of esteemed experts and families, and chaired by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to keep up momentum and deliver change.
Whilst the majority of mothers and families do have positive experiences of maternity and neonatal care, tragically there have been profound cases of failure, avoidable harm and loss that should never have happened. This investigation will explore why – and help drive lasting change to ensure every family receives the safe, compassionate care they deserve.
