Responding to Lord Darzi’s independent investigation of the National Health Service in England

“Lord Darzi’s report lays bare a sobering reflection of the state of the NHS today. Long wait times, outdated or lack of training and resources, lack of compassionate leadership and poor cultures alongside long-term underinvestment. The widening inequalities and increasing health complexities breeds a recipe for NHS failure that continues to disproportionately affect women and their babies.

“Darzi confirms, as we know, that maternal deaths are rising, largely due to the worrying racial and socio-economic inequalities that exist in maternity care. There is also a rising pattern of health complexities that can no longer be ignored – women giving birth today are older, more likely to be obese, have conditions like diabetes or other health concerns. If there is to be a reimagining of the NHS, it must start with putting all women at the centre of their care, by listening, learning and taking action to provide safe, respectful and personalised care.

“Darzi identifies that with falling birth rates and a small rise in the maternity workforce, we would expect to see improvements in care, but in reality, women and their babies are still experiencing dangerous failures in care. Darzi’s conclusions on culture and care reflect what women tell us every day about mistreatment, poor behaviours and disrespectful care. We continue to call for a resolute focus on culture and leadership, on cultural inclusion, skills training and continuity of care. We also call for a renewed national commitment to eradicating maternal disparities on the grounds of race, faith, language or socio-economic status.

“Darzi rightly recognises that prevention and diagnosing health problems early is an important part of how to fix the NHS. Pregnancy and maternity care can play such an important role in this, both in supporting healthy lifestyles for women and babies, but also in building trust in women’s wider longer-term health care. We know that investing in antenatal and postnatal care is one of the most significant contributors to long term positive health, for mother and baby, and for society.

“We have seen enough reports to know that too many women are being let down and, in many cases, this could be avoided. Now is the time to act. We urge the government to commit to eradicating inequities, to resolutely focusing on culture and leadership, and to protecting investment in training. This must be in conjunction with immediate investment in the maternity estate, technology and innovation, to rectify the years of deterioration across NHS buildings and services, often impacting the care women receive. Finally, we renew our call to bring about a wholesale reimagining of postnatal care that reflects the needs of every parent giving birth today, so they can feel safe and confident in the hands of the NHS.”

To read the full report please click here.