An open letter to Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

Dear Yvette 

Congratulations on your appointment as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. 

We were pleased to see maternity care feature front and centre in your first statement. At NCT, we look forward to working closely with this government, and your department, to improve the care and support offered to the 660,000 women and families who welcome a new baby each year. We want to ensure every woman, baby and family receives the safe, high-quality care and support they deserve. 

The experiences shared by women and parents in both the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, and the Independent Review of Maternity Services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust have exposed the devastating consequences of poor and unsafe maternity care, and the deep inequalities that persist in maternity outcomes and experiences. These reports make clear both the scale of change required and the urgency of delivering it.  

Too many women and parents have already waited too long to see the improvements they were promised. We cannot afford further delays. While these investigations and reviews have been taking place, women and families have continued to experience avoidable harm and loss. With changes in political leadership, it is vital that the focus on improving maternity care continues with urgency, and that the findings from this work are translated into meaningful improvements in care. Recommendations must be implemented at pace, with clear accountability for delivery, supported by long-term investment. 

More than two decades ago, as health minister, you spoke at an NCT conference about the importance of personalised, high-quality maternity care. NCT's response at the time was a call to turn ambition into action. It is striking how relevant that challenge still feels today.  

Since then, women and parents have continued to show remarkable courage in sharing their experiences, often speaking about deeply personal and traumatic events to help drive change in maternity care. Through our own work, including our recent NCT Parent Experience Report, ‘From expectation to reality’, we continue to hear many of the same concerns. Women have said where maternity care needs to improve. The focus now must be on delivering the urgent and essential improvements that have already been identified. 

We urge you to confirm that implementing the recommendations from the recent maternity reviews will be a priority for your department and the NHS.  

Listening to women must be at the heart of this work. Too often, women share that their concerns were dismissed, that they were not listened to, that they experienced discrimination, or that they were not treated with dignity and respect. Those experiences cannot be ignored. Just as importantly, women and parents must have a meaningful role in shaping the services intended to support them. 

Continuity of care must remain a priority. Despite widespread recognition of its importance, too many women still do not experience continuity of care during pregnancy, birth, and the critical postnatal period. We hope to see continued commitment to making this a reality for more women. 

We also need sustained action to address the systemic racism, discrimination and inequity of care that continue to shape maternity experiences and outcomes. Black women, women from ethnic minority communities, disabled women, women and birthing people from LGBTQIA+ communities 

and women living in areas of deprivation continue to face unacceptable disadvantage.  Real progress means closing those gaps and ensuring that the women who face the poorest outcomes see lasting improvements in the care they receive. 

NCT has supported parents through antenatal education for decades, and we were pleased to see its importance recognised in the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation. Preparing for birth is about much more than understanding what happens in labour. High-quality antenatal education gives expectant parents the information and confidence to understand their rights, ask questions, and play an active role in decisions about their care. Evidence shows it can help parents feel better prepared for life with a new baby, improve their experiences of birth, and support their wellbeing as they adjust to becoming a family. It can also reduce isolation and help parents build lasting connections and support networks. Last year, 93% of parents attending NCT antenatal courses said they had stayed in touch and felt supported by other parents from their course. 

The significant variation in antenatal education across England must now be addressed. NCT's analysis found that, as recently as 2025, more than half of NHS Trusts in England (53%) either offered no free antenatal education or provided it only online. Access to antenatal education should not be determined by postcode. Every expectant parent should be able to access high-quality preparation for birth and early parenthood, regardless of where they live.  

Your previous work on Sure Start reflected a recognition that early support can change lives by bringing services closer to parents and families, making them more accessible, and helping parents build connections in their communities. As many expectant and new parents face financial pressures and increasing isolation, that approach feels just as vital today. Charities and the voluntary and community sector have a vital role to play in making this ambition a reality.  

NCT has a proud history of working to improve maternity and postnatal services, and we would welcome the opportunity to discuss our insights with you. We would also be delighted to host a visit to one of our services, giving you the opportunity to hear directly from women and parents about their experiences of maternity and postnatal services. 

Women and parents should not have to keep making the case for change. They have shared their experiences, often reliving trauma to help drive change. The focus now must be on delivering the improvements they have been promised with long-term investment and a clear commitment to reporting publicly on progress. 

We look forward to working with you, 

Warm wishes, 

Angela McConville 
Chief Executive, NCT 

NCT: the UK's leading charity for pregnancy, parents and progress.