A Defining Moment for Maternity Safety, and Why It Matters to the Brain Injury Group
By Emma Trudgill, Clinical Advisor
Introduction
This week’s announcement of a rapid national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services marks a long-overdue step forward in the fight for safer, more compassionate care for mothers, babies, and families.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the inquiry as a “line in the sand.” For the Brain Injury Group and the families, we support, this is more than policy. It’s personal. For too long, we have seen the human cost of failure in maternity care: babies born with devastating brain injuries, families denied answers, and a system struggling to change.
Why This Investigation Matters to Us
As a national network of legal, medical, and rehabilitation professionals, the Brain Injury Group supports families affected by brain injuries, including those that occur at or around birth due to negligent care. These early-life injuries often lead to lifelong conditions such as cerebral palsy, cognitive impairment, or profound physical disability.
Behind every legal case we support is a family whose life has been irreversibly altered by a moment that should have been safe and joyful. Many have endured years of being dismissed, told their baby’s injury was “just one of those things,” or left navigating complex care systems without support or compensation.
This investigation, which will include a system-wide review of the most challenged maternity units and the creation of a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, brings long-overdue recognition of those experiences.
What’s Changing?
Key proposals from the national review include:
- A review of up to 10 NHS maternity units with the most serious safety concerns
- Learning integration from previous major inquiries (Ockenden, Kirkup, Nottingham)
- A single national plan to raise safety and compassion standards
- Addressing stark inequalities, including racial disparities in maternal outcomes
- A new anti-discrimination programme
- Digital safety monitoring tools due by November 2025
- Family-led leadership via the new Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce
The Brain Injury Perspective
For many of our member firms and clinicians, the link between maternity failings and avoidable brain injuries is painfully familiar. NHS litigation data shows maternity negligence claims now cost more than the entire annual budget for maternity services, and much of that relates to brain damage sustained during birth.
The emotional and financial cost to families is even greater. When systems fail to recognise fetal distress, delay emergency interventions, or mismanage neonatal care, the consequences can span a lifetime.
We believe this investigation must be the catalyst not only for change in maternity wards but also for justice and sustained support for families living with the impact of birth-related brain injuries.
Our Hopes for This Investigation
We welcome this renewed focus on maternity care and hope it will lead to:
- Clear accountability for past and future failings
- Substantial, long-term investment in maternity services so that staff are no longer overstretched, and safety is not compromised
- Guaranteed long-term support for children with brain injuries and their families
- Greater transparency and access to early legal and therapeutic advice
- A commitment to listen to and act on the lived experience of families
The Brain Injury Group will continue to work alongside families, legal experts, healthcare providers, and campaigners to ensure that any child affected by avoidable harm receives the support and justice they deserve.
If you would like to talk to one of our advisors about your maternity care or concerns about your child linked to it, please do reach out.
