Morning, Friday, 4th December 2026
Online
This conference will consider next steps for maternity and neonatal care in England. Discussion will focus on implementation of recommendations from the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, the Ockenden review and the Thirlwall Inquiry, alongside the NHS England Maternity and Neonatal 10 Point Plan, development of the Government’s national action plan, and work of the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce.
Overall, it will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to consider key issues and the way forward for governance and accountability, safety and culture, listening and responding to women and families, reducing inequalities, and workforce and service capacity, alongside priorities for estates, data and digital tools.
Delegates will consider what the findings of recent investigations mean for the next phase of maternity and neonatal reform, including priorities for the recommendations and approaches that can be taken forward. They will also discuss approaches to translating national expectations into effective local improvement, and where further decisions, support or resources may be needed.
With the conference taking place as trusts begin working through the assurance arrangements for the 10 Point Plan and ahead of the Government’s national action plan, it will also be an opportunity to consider how progress can be sustained beyond individual reviews and investigations - including the respective roles of trusts, ICBs, national and regional bodies and regulators - and how learning and effective practice can be translated into more consistent improvement across services.
Further discussion will consider the proposed statutory Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner and wider NHS reform, including implications for leadership, oversight and accountability. Delegates will also assess the practical conditions for improvement, including staffing and training, service capacity, investment, organisational culture and the ability of local systems to respond to differing needs and pressures.
Governance, accountability and implementation
The agenda will consider how recent recommendations and national programmes can be taken forward in ways that support sustained local improvement.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- implementation:
- priorities arising from the national investigation and Ockenden Review - sequencing and feasibility of recommendations
- identifying where further action or clarification is needed
- leadership and accountability: responsibilities across trusts, ICBs, national and regional bodies and regulators - strengthening board oversight - responding where progress is insufficient
- assurance: implementation of the Maternity and Neonatal 10 Point Plan - demonstrating progress without unnecessary duplication - identifying services requiring additional support
- national action plan: priorities for development and implementation - relationship with existing improvement programmes and local delivery
- national oversight:
- remit, independence and statutory footing of the proposed Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner - relationship with existing organisations and accountability arrangements
- implications of wider patient safety reform following the Dash Review and Thirlwall Inquiry and the Government’s response - proposed regulation of NHS managers and strengthened safeguarding and inspection arrangements
Safety, culture and listening to women and families
Sessions will examine practical approaches to strengthening safety and developing cultures in which concerns are raised, heard and acted on.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- safety and escalation:
- maternity triage, risk assessment and responsiveness - implementation of Martha’s Rule
- escalation when women, families or staff raise concerns
- learning: identifying wider patterns from incidents, complaints and investigations - embedding learning across services - spreading effective practice
- culture: multidisciplinary working - psychological safety for staff - openness and challenge - addressing behaviours and practices that inhibit safe care
- women and families:
- improving communication and responsiveness - involving women and families in investigations and service improvement
- rebuilding trust where confidence has been damaged
- choice and decision-making: personalised care and informed choice - communication of clinical risk - responding to differing preferences and circumstances
Addressing inequalities and personalised care
The conference will consider how differences in outcomes and experience can be addressed through service design, workforce practice, data and engagement with communities.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- inequalities:
- action to reduce disparities affecting Black and Asian women, disabled women and women in deprived and underserved communities
- priorities in the context of the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England
- equity programmes: implementation of the Perinatal Equity and Anti-Discrimination Programme - use of the Maternity and Neonatal Equalities Dashboard and other data to identify variation
- personalised care: culturally competent and anti-racist practice - reasonable adjustments - improving communication and responsiveness to differing needs
- mental health: earlier identification of perinatal mental health needs - access to appropriate support - integration with maternity, primary and community services
- engagement: working with women, families and communities in developing and evaluating services - taking account of patient experience alongside clinical and outcomes data
Workforce, service capacity and models of care
Further sessions will consider the workforce and service capacity needed to support safer and more consistent care, alongside developing models of maternity and neonatal provision.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- workforce: recruitment and retention across midwifery, obstetrics and neonatal services - routes into permanent posts for newly qualified staff - longer-term workforce planning
- education and development: protected training time - continuing professional development - multidisciplinary learning - leadership capability
- workload and wellbeing: responding to increasing clinical complexity - staffing pressures and workload - staff wellbeing and psychological safety
- models of care: development of community and neighbourhood approaches - continuity across different birth settings - access to specialist and acute services
- integration: relationships between maternity, neonatal, primary, community and perinatal mental health services - commissioning and coordination across local systems
Estates, data and improvement
Delegates will also assess the infrastructure and information needed to support safe care and enable organisations to identify and respond to emerging concerns.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- estates:
- condition and suitability of maternity and neonatal facilities - priorities for use of the additional £41m investment
- capacity, privacy, ventilation, fire safety and equipment - prioritising investment according to clinical and operational need
- safety data: use of the Maternity Outcomes Signal System - interpretation and escalation of emerging signals - responsibilities of boards, trusts and wider systems
- information: bringing together safety, outcomes and patient-experience data - identifying variation - assessing whether improvement measures are having the intended effect
- digital records:
- information-sharing across settings and services - continuity of records - implications for staff and women using maternity services
- the role of a single national tracker to monitor delivery of recommendations from major maternity and neonatal reviews and inquiries
- new technologies:
- potential contribution of digital tools and emerging technologies in identifying deterioration and safety concerns
- governance, workforce capability and infrastructure required for their effective use
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
