Transparency, standards and a new commissioner – but does the maternity review go far enough?

Amos review sets out recommendations for government, but falls short on systemic racism and traumatic births

• England to get powerful maternity commissioner after ‘shocking’ failings

The findings of Lady Amos’ review into maternity and neonatal services across England, which state the system is ultimately no longer fit for purpose, are unsurprising. The systemic failures and inadequacies of these services have been uncovered in several reports already, including Donna Ockenden’s review of the “toxic” Nottingham NHS trust published last week.

But what this report does offer are a set of recommendations for the government to implement. Amos states that if they were to be delivered in full then “the overall safety and quality of maternity and neonatal care in England will be materially and sustainably improved”. But how far do these recommendations go, and what will it take for them to be implemented?

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