Released on: 10 September 2026
This report is deeply concerning. Maternal mortality in the UK remains higher than it was more than a decade ago, despite repeated commitments to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities. Women continue to die during pregnancy and the year after birth from causes that are too often compounded by wider systemic failings in care and support.
The report also highlights once again the stark, disturbing and unacceptable inequalities that continue to exist in maternity care. Black women, women living in deprived communities and those facing multiple disadvantages remain at significantly greater risk of poor outcomes. The report spotlights just how vulnerable, pregnant women experiencing multiple disadvantages, are and that essentially progress has stalled. These disparities have been known about for years, yet progress has been far too slow.
The findings echo the very real concerns raised repeatedly by women and families, campaigners and charities, and reflected in both Baroness Amos’ national maternity investigation and the local maternity reviews led by Donna Ockenden. Women and parents continue to tell us that they do not feel listened to, that their concerns are dismissed, that they experience discrimination and that the care they receive is too often inconsistent. We can't keep seeing the same themes in reports, without meaningful action being taken.
Every woman has the right to safe, personalised, rights-respecting, culturally competent care. At a time when women and parents may be at their most vulnerable, they should be able to trust that they will be listened to, treated with dignity and compassion, and receive high-quality care throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.
The Government and NHS must now act on the evidence before them, and their stated commitment to addressing these issues with urgency. We call for sustained multi-year funding and investment in maternity, neonatal, postnatal and perinatal mental health services, including in the community; targeted action to tackle racism, discrimination and the inequalities that continue to put some women, birthing people and babies at greater risk. It is vital that the care provided connects seamlessly with wider health, public health and social care services, so that women and families receive the support they need at every stage of early parenthood.