The government has announced £41m to be invested in improving the safety and quality of the maternity and neonatal estate, following a damning independent investigation.
Baroness Amos’ independent investigation was an "Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation".
The Investigation conducted reviews of maternity and neonatal services in 12 NHS Trusts, in order to identify systemic issues and to inform the development of the national recommendations.
Included in these urgent actions was the investment of £41m to support the estate, as well as £10.6m in 2026/27 to support the recruitment of newly qualified midwives.
This funding is on top of the £145m already committed since April 2025.
Chief Executive of NHS England, Sir James Mackay, expressed his concern in the area in an open letter to NHS Trusts and ICBs. He said that this report and actions "must be a turning point for the NHS".
What is the problem with the maternity and neonatal estate in the NHS?
The report identified eight main issues across the service. One of the eight was the estate.
Issues raised included simply the age of the estate, but also the capacity and inappropriate design.
The report says that across the trusts investigated, the team saw examples of estates that were not fit for purpose. "Women and families lacked privacy for sensitive conversations, and staff were delivering care in cramped conditions," the report stated.
For the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust report, for instance, limited theatre maternity capacity was leading to delays and difficult choices with emergency and planned care competing. Triage areas were also cramped causing issues in privacy and communication.
It was just not the capacity that was an issue; the split-level layout with the birth centre being on another floor added time and complexity in time-sensitive situations.
Similarly, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's report saw shared bays, lack of privacy, noise, and parents surrounded by reminders of healthy babies. For example, the team heard about how a woman was placed on a maternity ward following a miscarriage, which was "inappropriate and distressing".
In this way, the report emphasises that the physical estate therefore "often intensified distress rather than providing [patients] with reassurance or dignity".
The physical estate "often intensified distress rather than providing [patients] with reassurance or dignity"
The age of the estate is also a contributing factor to the issue.
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust's report states that the age of the buildings was not fit for the 21st century.
At Leicester Royal Infirmary, postnatal rooms were described as very small, with limited bathroom access and showers that could be difficult to use after birth.
The layout of the sites also raised practical concerns about safety and flow, including movement across floors in emergencies and equipment that was not ideally positioned or ready for use.
"Taken together, these observations suggest that while support was in place, the design and condition of the estate affected inclusion, privacy and the experience of urgent or sensitive care," the report concluded
UK’s first maternity and neonatal commissioner
Alongside the funding, the government has announced that a new position will be created, a Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner.
The new commissioner will speak up for women, babies and families.
The new commissioner will provide independent leadership to hold the system to account, drive change and rebuild trust, co-chairing the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce with the Secretary of State.
The taskforce will be drive the creation of a national action plan, which will be published in December 2026 to overhaul services and drive long-term change.
