Posted By: Amy Tubb
14th August 2025
1 minute read
On 14 August 2025, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting announced the appointment of Baroness Valerie Amos to chair the independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care. The investigation aims to drive urgent improvements in the safety and quality of services.
Families asked for fresh eyes, independence and compassion - and that’s why I’ve appointed Baroness Amos... 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.
Wes Streeting, Health and Social Care Secretary
Baroness Amos’ appointment follows calls from bereaved families for a leader with independence from the NHS. The Government has said this outside perspective will be crucial to ensuring impartiality and trust in the process.
Families affected by loss or harm will play a central role in the investigation. They will help shape the terms of reference and contribute to building the investigation team, ensuring lived experience is embedded throughout the review.
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.
Baroness Valerie Amos
The investigation will begin this summer, with the goal of producing an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025.
The Maternal Mental Health Alliance welcomes the timeline for this important investigation, particularly the clear intent to deliver results by December 2025. This commitment to timely and decisive action demonstrates appropriate urgency regarding the safety of women and birthing people, and their babies. We also appreciate the thought given to Baroness Amos' appointment and the decision to place families with lived experience at the heart of the review.
However, clarification is needed on whether perinatal mental health care will be explicitly considered. Mental illness is the most common complication of pregnancy and the leading cause of maternal death in the postnatal period. Excluding this core part of maternity and neonatal care from the investigation would miss the issue that affects the greatest number of families in the UK.
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