CNO among new taskforce set to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care
The chief nursing officer (CNO) for England has been appointed to a new taskforce set up to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care.
Duncan Burton is one of 17 members confirmed for a new maternity and neonatal taskforce, chaired by the health and social care secretary, to help ensure ‘safer, more equitable care’ for women, babies and families.
The taskforce will be charged with delivering action on the recommendations of the independent national investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England, led by Baroness Amos, which will be reviewed in June.
Interim findings from the investigation last month revealed that maternity and neonatal services in England are failing to deliver consistent, safe and equitable care, with staffing pressures and structural racism among the most serious concerns.
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Mr Burton, who was appointed to the role of CNO in July 2024, said he looked forward to working with the taskforce to improve safety.
‘Every woman and baby deserve safe, compassionate care during pregnancy and birth, and the very best start in life,’ he said.
‘Although NHS maternity and neonatal teams work incredibly hard to support women and families every day, we know there is more we must urgently do to improve care and experience.
‘I look forward to working with members of the taskforce to improve safety and deliver the best possible outcomes and experience for women, babies, families and colleagues working in these services.’
Other taskforce members include families, senior NHS leaders, royal colleges, campaigners, academics, and third sector representatives who collectively have the ‘clinical expertise, lived experience and sector know-how to deliver the changes so desperately needed for families’.
Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting will be chairing regular roundtables with the new taskforce, focused on interim findings from Baroness Amos, as well as the independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, which is being led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden.
Ms Ockendon was also recently appointed as the new lead of an independent review into maternity and neonatal services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHT).
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Mr Streeting said: ‘I ordered an independent national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services to make sure families harmed by maternity care get the truth and accountability they deserve.
‘Baroness Amos will deliver on this vital work this June but to deliver truly meaningful change – so that other families do not face the ordeals too many are already enduring – we must be ready to act swiftly.
‘This 17-strong taskforce will start work straight away, so we will be ready to drive improvement from the moment the investigation’s recommendations are published.
‘At the same time, we’re continuing to invest millions in schemes that are working to deliver safer and more equitable maternity care to benefit families today.’
The 17 taskforce members include:
- Wes Streeting, secretary of state for health and social care (chair)
- Baroness Merron, parliamentary under-secretary of state for women’s health and mental health (deputy chair and chair of the regulators and investigatory bodies expert reference group)
- Duncan Burton, chief nursing officer for England (senior responsible officer for maternity)
- Helen Gittos, family representative (chair of family expert reference group)
- Gary Andrews, family representative (chair of family expert reference group)
- Cathy Brewster, family representative (chair of family expert reference group)
- Lauren Caulfield, family representative (health equity expert reference group lived experience representative)
- Habib Naqvi, chief executive of the NHS race and health observatory (chair of the health equity expert reference group)
- Nina Johns, consultant obstetrician and clinical director at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS trust (co-chair of workforce, clinical and academic expert reference group)
- Helen Cheyne, professor of maternal and child health research at the University of Stirling and professor of midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives (Scotland) (co-chair of workforce, clinical and academic expert reference group)
- Avey Bhatia, chief nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, co-lead on patient safety and clinical governance (senior health system representative)
- Louise Stead, chief executive of Ashford and St Peter’s and Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trusts (senior health system representative)
- Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives
- Alison Wright, president of the royal college of obstetricians and gynaecologists
- Representative of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child health/British Association of Perinatal Medicine – to be confirmed
- Clea Harmer, chief executive of Sands (chair of charity and third sector expert reference group)
- Helene Normann, senior advisor and chief midwifery officer at the Norwegian Directorate of Health (international expert)
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