Rt Hon Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced comprehensive plans to improve maternity care at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) World Congress today (23 June 2025).
Professor Ranee Thakar, President, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said:
“Too many women and babies are not getting the safe, compassionate maternity care they deserve, with tragic outcomes that are devastating families. The maternity workforce is on its knees, with many now leaving the profession. This has gone on for too long and the RCOG welcomes the Health and Social Care Secretary today confirming he will personally lead plans to deliver rapid improvement.
“It is vital that the national review announced today is done quickly, builds on the evidence from previous maternity investigations and produces a definitive set of recommendations that galvanises action across the system. The RCOG is committed to working with the government and our members to achieve this.
“In his speech, the Health and Social Care Secretary recognised that dedicated maternity teams strive to offer women and babies the best possible care, and that most births happen safely. However, for years, maternity units have had too few staff, too little time for training and lacked modern equipment and facilities, resulting in women and babies being harmed.
“The route forward must include offering Trusts, particularly the most challenged, the right support and tools to deliver safe and personalised care, and we urge the government to not to lose sight of funding and workforce shortages within this.
“We support the Health and Social Care Secretary’s commitment to bring women and families, maternity staff and local NHS leaders together to set the path towards lasting improvements. By acknowledging where things have gone wrong, and learning from this, we can re-build a compassionate maternity system that provides world-class care.”
The RCOG is committed to supporting high-quality maternity care for all women and pregnant people and is actively working to reduce inequalities affecting minority ethnic women and disadvantaged groups. The College delivers this through our role as an educator, developing the curriculum, producing clinical guidance, and supporting clinicians’ professional development through exams and training. The College was proud to co-lead the Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth programme, with the Royal College of Midwives, which will be rolled out nationally from September 2025.
RCOG press office: pressoffice@rcog.org.uk T +44 (0) 7986 183167
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will also address NHS leaders at a maternity and neonatal safety summit in July, being held to support NHS leaders in Trusts, Boards and Integrated Care Boards in making the changes needed to deliver better outcomes for women and families. The summit is being hosted by Progress in Partnership, which includes five Royal Colleges and co-chaired by Gill Walton of the Royal College of Midwives and Professor Ranee Thakar, RCOG President.
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