PRESS RELEASE: 100+ Baby Loss, Maternity and Neonatal Charities Urge New Health Secretary to Protect Maternity Safety
- Leila Hobart
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
PRESS RELEASE BELOW:
Over 100 Baby Loss, Maternity and Neonatal Charities, organisations and campaigners Urge New Health Secretary to Protect Maternity Safety Momentum
Following the recent appointment of the Rt Hon James Murray MP as the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, a powerful coalition of over 100 leading charities, campaigners, and healthcare organisations has issued an open, urgent appeal to ensure that vital momentum in improving NHS maternity and neonatal services is not lost.
The open letter co-authored by Amneet Graham (Founder of Willow’s Rainbow Box) and Leila Hobart (Founder of Little Wings of Hope), is backed by a major cross-sector network of prominent baby loss, maternity and neonatal support organisations, including Sands, Tommy’s, Bliss, the Birth Trauma Association, NCT, Child Bereavement UK, and the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.
The widespread mobilisation comes in response to the departure of former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, whose tenure saw significant initial progress including the launch of the landmark independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation led by Baroness Valerie Amos.
The coalition stresses that any delay or political disruption to the ongoing national review risks alienating bereaved and harmed families who have fought relentlessly to have their voices heard. The letter directly calls upon the incoming Health Secretary to publicly commit to the ongoing safety agenda and to act decisively on Baroness Amos’s upcoming recommendations.
Key Priorities Put Forward to the Government Include:
Protect Independence: Fully protect the independence of Baroness Amos’s national investigation.
Act Without Delay: Commit to implementing the review's final recommendations in full and without disruption.
National Leadership: Provide continued national leadership on maternal and neonatal safety, including the Health Secretary maintaining their role as chair of the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce.
Targeted Reform: Accelerate systemic action to eliminate inequalities faced by Black and Asian families, fix chronic understaffing, and bridge gaps in maternity triage and safety systems.
Quotes for Media Use
Amneet Graham, Founder of Willow's Rainbow Box, said: "Families have already been through so much waiting. Baroness Amos’s review is supposed to implement commitments to change, help tackle the inequalities across the sector and improve care for families. This collective statement - signed by charities, bereaved families and those working across maternity and neonatal services - is our way to ensure that through political changes, maternity care, neonatal care and bereaved families remain at the top of the agenda."
Leila Hobart, Founder of Little Wings of Hope, said: "Too many families across the UK are still suffering the devastating consequences of failures within maternity and neonatal care. Parents who have lost babies, mothers living with trauma, and families still searching for answers cannot be left behind or forgotten because of political change. Many of us have fought tirelessly to have these voices heard and, for the first time in a long time, many of us finally felt heard under Wes Streeting, most importantly there was progress being made. It’s essential that this work must continue under the new leadership of The Rt Hon James Murray as Health Secretary."
Notes to Editors
About the Open Letter: The letter was initiated by baby loss charities Willow’s Rainbow Box and Little Wings of Hope. It has been formally signed and supported by a coalition of over 100 national and regional entities, including specialist medical royal colleges, individual NHS Trust representatives, maternal mental health advocates, and leading neonatal charities.
About the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation: Commissioned to address systemic failures across England's maternity services, the independent review is chaired by Baroness Valerie Amos. Following her interim report published in February 2026 which highlighted deeply concerning systemic pressures, culture issues, and structural racism the final report and recommendations are highly anticipated by the sector.
Media Contact:
Name: Leila Hobart
Role: Founder
Organisation: Little Wings of Hope
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