Following the publication of the Ockenden report into maternity failings at Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals Trust, one of the steps taken by the Government was to provide additional funding, which was allocated to improve maternity safety.

The report, which was first published in December 2020 and with the final report published in March 2022, investigated the provision of maternity services, and reviewed the maternity care of 1,486 families between 2000 and 2019. Upon publication of the report, failures were identified in relation to poor antenatal care for vulnerable women, repeated failures to correctly assess fetal growth, a failure to act upon abnormal fetal heart patterns, in addition to other specified failures, and a general failure to follow National Guidelines.

In response to the report, the NHS was to provide an additional £95 million annually in 2024-2025 for funding for improving maternity services across England.

At the end of April 2025, the government announced that funding for maternity services was to be cut to just £2 million in 2025 and 2026.

The Royal College of Midwives said in response:

“These budget cuts are more than shocking, they will rip the heart out of any moves to improve maternity safety. The Government has taken a wrecking ball to the work that’s being done up and down the country to improve maternity safety”.

NCT Chief Executive, Angela McConville, said:

“At a time when trust in maternity services has been dangerously eroded, and when critical issues of maternity care, safety and equity are putting lives at risk, to learn of this news via the Health Service Journal, will be devastating for pregnant women, new parents, and families, as well as the maternity workforce and birth campaigners across the country.”

The long term cost of the reduction in funding is not certain at the moment, although it is likely to result in a scaling back of resources and severely hamper efforts to bring about safety improvements to maternity services nationally, impacting the care provided to women and their families.

If you feel that you have suffered as a result of poor maternity care, then the experts in the Medical Negligence Team at Maxwell Hodge may be able to help you to secure the compensation that you deserve.