I’m dedicated to campaigning for better maternity care so I’m proud to announce that I’ve been appointed to an expert group set up to support the taskforce driving national change in maternity and neonatal care.
The parliamentary and mayoral group will work alongside the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, the group formed in response to Baroness Amos’ independent investigation into the care experienced by women, their babies and family members.
The taskforce will implement actions from the investigation, launched in 2025, which asked people to share their experiences of pregnancy and childbirth
National action plan
I’ll be involved in developing a national action plan that covers the full maternity journey, from pre-pregnancy through to postnatal and bereavement support.
The group, made up of MPs with a special interest in maternity and neonatal care, will hold the NHS to account for delivering real improvements to women, babies and families. One key focus will be closing the stark inequalities that mean Black and Asian women are significantly more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth than white women.
Much-needed
Since I became Ribble Valley MP, I’ve campaigned for better care for mothers, babies and their families so I’m pleased that my voice and those of my colleagues have been heard.
Through my work with the hospitals used by Ribble Valley constituents, the emails and calls that come to my office and my role as chair of the Babies All-Party Parliamentary Group, I know this taskforce and the expert groups supporting it are much-needed and will make a huge impact on families across the country to ensure the recommendations of the investigation are implemented.
Every family has its own experiences of maternity care and I’m proud that this government is showing its intention to listen to them all and make the changes necessary to ensure we improve services for generations of women.
Sustained investment
Recently I spoke in a parliamentary debate on calls for a dedicated maternity commissioner, proposed by campaigner Louise Thompson and former MP Theo Clarke, in which I shared my belief that the biggest difference to maternity care would be sustained investment in services to address the 700 recommendations on safety that already exist.
I’ve also visited student midwives at University of Lancashire in their simulated hospital environment, toured Lancashire Women and Newborn Centre at Burnley Hospital and met with the Perinatal Mental Health Team at Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust. In March, I joined midwives on the picket line in Parliament Square as part of a Fund Future Midwives UK protest about job prospects for student midwives.
The taskforce builds on significant action the government has already taken since July 2024, including investing £149m in maternity and neonatal facilities, and expanding mental health services and baby loss support for families.
