Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Maternity Improvement Strategy

Tuesday 6 May 2025 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial funding for maternity improvement is being cut from 95 million to 2 million.
  • Local leaders will decide how to allocate money from ICB allocations for maternity services.
  • The Secretary of State is considering all recommendations from the birth trauma inquiry.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Jack Rankin Con Windsor
NHS
Context

Last year’s birth trauma inquiry report exposed that maternity services in the UK are underfunded. The Health Secretary plans to cut funding for maternity improvement from £95 million to £2 million.

Question

What kind of change is it cutting maternity improvement budget from £95 million to £2 million, equating to less than £4 per child born each year? What message does this send to mothers across the country? Does the Secretary of State plan to implement any recommendations from the birth trauma inquiry report?

Answer from The Minister for Secondary Care (Karin Smyth)

Maternity funding is not ringfenced at the same level as previously thought. Local leaders will decide how best to allocate money from ICB allocations, and we are committed to working with Donna Ockenden and families affected by incidents to ensure recommendations of her report and the maternity review are fully implemented.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about funding cuts was not directly addressed; only a vague statement about local leaders deciding on allocations.

How: Working With Families, Commitment To Recommendations

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q2 Jen Craft Lab Thurrock
Women & Equalities
Context

There is a consistent failure in maternity units to listen to women and put their experiences at the heart of driving improvements.

Question

What assurances can be given that women’s voices will be at the heart of any maternity improvement strategy, considering the importance of listening to them?

Answer from The Minister for Secondary Care (Karin Smyth)

My hon. Friend is right; it is unacceptable and we are ensuring that women’s voices are taken forward as part of our 10-year plan after hearing their experiences during meetings with families affected by previous incidents.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q3 Edward Argar Con Melton and Syston
Context

The previous Government committed to the headline recommendation of a cross-party birth trauma inquiry, but no equivalent commitment has been made by this government.

Question

Will the Minister commit without any equivocation to implementing the recommendation for a national maternity improvement strategy?

Answer from The Minister for Secondary Care (Karin Smyth)

To be clear, the Secretary of State is continuing to look at all those recommendations and considering how best to respond.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment without equivocation was not given; instead, a vague statement about looking into it was provided.

How: Looking At Recommendations

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q4 Helen Morgan Lib Dem North Shropshire
NHS
Context

The Care Quality Commission rates 65% of trusts as inadequate or requiring improvement for maternity safety. £1.15 billion was paid out in compensation last year for maternity failings.

Question

Can the Minister reassure us that safe staffing levels will remain on maternity wards, considering the removal of the ringfence around the £100 million set aside to deal with unsafe staffing?

Answer from The Minister for Secondary Care (Karin Smyth)

We are committed to ensuring that the recommendations from reviews related to safety and staffing issues will be implemented, but it is noted that the Liberal Democrat party has opposed extra funding that supports the wider health service.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Maintaining safe staffing levels was not directly addressed; instead, a vague commitment to implementing recommendations was provided with political commentary.

How: Commitment To Reviews, Political Commentary

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email