Baby Lifeline is committed to supporting maternity teams to give every mum, birthing person, and baby the best and safest care possible from pregnancy, birth, and afterwards. As part of our mission, we are dedicated to amplifying your voice to ensure your perspectives and experiences are heard by politicians and decision-makers.
On 25th February, MPs will debate the ongoing crisis in UK maternity services in Westminster Hall. The discussion is likely to highlight the devastating impact of avoidable harm and deaths, the urgent need for safer staffing levels, and the critical investments required to improve care.
An Opportunity to Save Lives
Despite most mothers and babies having healthy outcomes in the UK, many opportunities exist to save lives in maternity care. Every day, 13 babies in the UK are stillborn or die within the first four weeks of life. Every four days, a mother dies due to pregnancy-related causes. Black and Asian mothers and babies, as well as those from deprived areas, are at a significantly higher risk of death or lifelong injury. Research suggests that many of these tragedies could have been prevented with better care.
Despite progress in reducing stillbirths and neonatal deaths, the government is set to miss the National Maternity Safety Ambition of halving these rates by 2025. Urgent action is needed to address fundamental issues.
Safer Staffing, Safer Care
The shortage of midwives is putting both staff and patients at risk. A 2021 Royal College of Midwives survey found that over half of midwives were considering leaving their roles due to concerns over staffing levels and quality of care. Midwives also experience some of the highest rates of work-related stress and absence within the NHS.
With an increasingly complex birthing population, retention, training and safe staffing numbers must be prioritised to ensure safe maternity care for all.
Essential Investments for Safer Maternity Services
Beyond staffing, there are fundamental elements of care that need to improve to make care safer:
- Training and Education: Baby Lifeline’s Mind the Gap reports consistently reveal critical gaps in ongoing training for midwives and doctors. These gaps are related to the main causes of avoidable harm and health inequalities. Professionals cite a lack of funding, staffing, and equipment as the main barriers to providing this vital training.
- Vital Equipment: Over two-thirds of maternity professionals surveyed by Baby Lifeline reported working in units where essential equipment was either unavailable or broken when needed. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) recently deemed maternity facilities in England “not fit for purpose.”
The Financial Cost of Inaction
When there is avoidable harm in maternity, families’ lives change forever. Beyond this, the financial burden of avoidable harm in maternity services is staggering. Last year, the value of clinical negligence claims in maternity services received by NHS England was £3.7 billion—more than half of the value of all claims across NHS England services. This is comparable to the total cost of all births in England in 2023/24.
Time for Change
This parliamentary debate is an opportunity for MPs to push for urgent action. Safe maternity care must be a national priority. We need immediate investment in staffing, training and essential equipment to prevent avoidable harm and deaths.
We urge everyone to support this cause—share this message, engage with your MP, and demand better for mothers and babies across the UK.
Research and references in this blog: