Looking back at failure and forward to improvement
Maternity care has not been short of inquiries and reviews, nor is it short of recommendations, so the announcement of another investigation into neonatal and maternity care by Health Secretary Wes Streeting at the recent RCOG World Congress, and repeated in Fit for the Future, might raise questions, eyebrows – and indeed hackles.
Sarah Clark
Research Communications Manager
11 July 2025
In their latest BMJ opinion piece, Jane O’Hara, Graham Martin and Mary Dixon-Woods argue that the investigation is unlikely to add to the overall sum of knowledge about what’s going wrong in maternity. But they commend the intent to provide a single set of actions to maternity services that could help to cut down the priority thickets that thwart improvement. And they say that the investigation might serve important purposes for families affected by poor care, but only if done well and sincerely, without a hint of tokenism.
“Streeting’s plans will need to be rigorous in identifying problems, but also authoritative in directing future action, if they are to feel more than just performative.”
Jane O’Hara, Graham Martin and Mary Dixon-Woods