- Report claims some NHS trusts altered or withheld medical records.
- Staff shortages blamed for unsafe maternity care and delays.
- Health secretary to launch taskforce after mounting NHS scandals.
Serious failings in NHS maternity care have been hidden by some hospitals through alleged “cover-ups”, altered medical records and a refusal to give grieving families clear answers, according to an independent review into NHS maternity services in England.
The report, led by Baroness Valerie Amos, paints a bleak picture of NHS maternity care and neonatal services. It suggests poor care during childbirth has left families dealing with long-term emotional and psychological trauma, while some NHS trusts have responded with defensiveness rather than openness.
Amos concluded that “the system is not working for women, babies and families, or for staff,” as quoted in a news report, after months of speaking to hundreds of families and frontline workers.
A culture of denial
The 35-page review accuses some NHS trusts of compounding harm by withholding information or, in some cases, altering medical notes. Families told the inquiry they felt there had been a “cover-up” when mistakes occurred, and that accessing their own records was difficult or met with resistance.
One mother described how, three years after her daughter’s birth, previously missing notes were suddenly produced, reportedly saying they were inaccurate and did not reflect what had happened.
Amos said such behaviour is “troubling” because it deepens the distress of families already dealing with trauma or bereavement and prevents the NHS from learning lessons. She added that previous maternity scandals had highlighted similar failings, yet too little appeared to have changed.
The inquiry was commissioned in August by Health Secretary Wes Streeting following a string of maternity care scandals at NHS trusts including those in East Kent, Leeds, Morecambe Bay, Nottingham and Shropshire. The Nottingham investigation, covering 2,500 cases of alleged poor care, is said to be the largest maternity inquiry in NHS history and is due to report in June.
Pressure on staff, pressure on mothers
The report also highlights chronic staff shortages across maternity units. According to evidence gathered, women face long waits to be assessed, delays for planned caesarean sections and induced labour, and in some cases are unable to opt for home births because midwives are not available.
Amos said it was “unsurprising that women and families report a lack of basic care and support,” as quoted in a news report, pointing to relentless pressure on staff and overstretched services.
Some mothers were reportedly discharged without proper checks after giving birth and then struggled to get advice when complications arose. Meanwhile, staff told the inquiry that intense public criticism has left some midwives feeling so exposed that they hide their uniforms in public or avoid saying what they do for work.
Ethnic minority women and those from poorer backgrounds were found to have worse outcomes, with racism and discrimination cited as contributing factors. Rising numbers of older mothers and more women with obesity were also said to have made maternity care more complex.
Paul Whiteing, chief executive of Action against Medical Accidents, reportedly said the findings showed “the shocking lengths that some staff are going to” to cover mistakes, adding that secrecy and manipulation of records cause further trauma for grieving families.
Layla Moran, who chairs the Commons health and social care committee, reportedly urged ministers to act without waiting for the final recommendations. Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Helen Morgan also criticised the government’s response, questioning how many more reports would be needed before change happens.
Streeting said the report lays bare “systematic, sustained and recurring failures” in maternity and neonatal care, reportedly adding that he would launch and chair a new taskforce to draw up an action plan once the final recommendations are published.
Whether that taskforce can break what Amos described as a repeating cycle of scandal and partial reform remains to be seen. For many families, the central demand appears simple: honesty, accountability and safe care.
