National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce
The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will oversee improvements to NHS maternity and neonatal care in England for women, babies and families.
Objectives
The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce is chaired by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The objectives are to:
- develop a new national action plan based on the findings and recommendations from the independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation
- hold the maternity and neonatal system to account for the implementation of the new national action plan and for achieving improvements in outcomes, experiences and reduction of inequalities for women, babies and families
The independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, chaired by Baroness Amos, plans to make recommendations in June 2026 based on evidence collected from families, staff and stakeholders across England as well as previous reports and recommendations.
The taskforce will take an evidence-based approach to developing an action plan that addresses these recommendations. It will also need to consider any further actions that support the government’s manifesto commitment to set an explicit target to close the Black and Asian maternal mortality gaps.
It will address recent developments in maternity and neonatal care, including recommendations from the:
- Thirlwall Inquiry
- independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
An objective of the taskforce will be to ensure that actions translate into change. Following publication of the national action plan, the taskforce will:
- monitor implementation of the plan
- assess progress towards:
- improved maternal and neonatal safety outcomes
- improved experiences of women, babies and families
- improved experiences of staff
- reductions in inequalities
- provide a direct route for raising challenge and escalating concerns with government around the care and support being provided to women, babies and families within the maternity and neonatal system
- consider what further action is needed if progress is not as expected
The taskforce comprises experts and stakeholders from across the maternity and neonatal sector, and wider health sector. This includes families, clinicians, academics, royal colleges, those who can speak to health equity, and international expertise.
They will be supported by several expert reference groups. The chair of each expert reference group will sit on the taskforce to represent the group’s views.
Membership
The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce members are:
- James Murray, 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 one of the family expert reference groups)
- Gary Andrews, family representative (chair of one of the family expert reference groups)
- Cathy Brewster, family representative (chair of one of the family expert reference groups)
- Habib Naqvi, Chief Executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory (chair of the health equity expert reference group)
- Lauren Caulfield, family representative (health equity expert reference group lived experience representative)
- 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 (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, CEO 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
- a representative from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine
- Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands (chair of charity and third sector expert reference group)
- Helene Normann, Senior Adviser and Chief Midwifery Officer at the Norwegian Directorate of Health (international expert)
- Michelle Welsh, MP for Sherwood Forest, DHSC Maternity Advisor, and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Maternity (chair of Parliamentary and mayoral panel)
Terms of reference
National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce’s ways of working charter
Expert reference groups
The taskforce is supported by 8 expert reference groups so that a wide breadth of voices can contribute to its work. These groups have now been set up and members who have given permission for their names to be published are included below. More names are expected to be added to this page as further permissions are given. The groups are:
- 3 family groups
- Workforce, clinical and academic group
- Health equity group
- Charity and third sector group
- Regulatory and investigatory bodies group
- Parliamentary and mayoral group
Family groups
There are 3 groups representing families. These comprise of people who have lived experience of maternity and neonatal care, particularly (but not exclusively) those families who have experienced harm or bereavement.
Group 1 membership
Chair: Helen Gittos
Members:
- Chris Binnie
- James Titcombe
- Kayleigh Griffiths MBE
- Nicky Lyon
- Rhiannon Davies MBE
- Richard Stanton MBE
Group 2 membership
Chair: Gary Andrews
Members:
- Reverend Charlotte Cheshire, Diocese of Lichfield
- Grace Penzer-Adams
- Hannah Swinburn
- Hannah Taylor-Smith
- Katie Russell
- Neya Joshi
- Rachel Coles
- Rebecca Matthews
- Sarah Baxter
- Stephanie Anne Conley
- Tim Taylor-Smith
Group 3 membership (service user voice representatives)
Chair: Cathy Brewster
Members:
- Alima Ashfaq
- Bianca Lindgren-Phillips
- Chaya Tagore
- Kate Hawley
- Kelly Phizacklea
- Laura Wetherall
- Nicola Burnett
- Sarah Wall
Workforce, clinical and academic group
The workforce, clinical and academic group comprises a representative spread of professions involved in the care of women, babies and families, including those directly providing care and those leading research.
Membership
Chairs: Helen Cheyne; Nina Johns
Members:
- Dr Adam Smith-Collins, Consultant Neonatologist, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW), and Clinical Director, South West England Neonatal Operational Delivery Network
- Dr Alain Gregoire, Perinatal Psychiatrist, visiting Professor, London School of Economics and Political Science, and Hon President, Maternal Mental Health Alliance
- Dr Angela Kerrigan, Consultant Midwife, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Dr Beth Malory, Lecturer (Reproductive Health Communication specialist), University College London
- Caroline Keown, Chief Midwifery Officer in Northern Ireland, Department of Health, NI
- Catherine Nelson-Piercy, Consultant Obstetric Physician, St Thomas’ Hospital, Professor Obstetric Medicine, King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), and Lead Obstetric Physician, South East London Maternal Medicine Network
- Professor Fiona Alderdice, Senior Social Scientist and Co-Director NIHR Policy Research Unit in Maternal and Neonatal Health and Care, National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford
- Professor Hassan Shehata FRCOG FRCP, Consultant Obstetrician and Maternal Medicine Specialist, St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Group (GESH). Immediate Past Senior and Global Health Vice President, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- Professor James Boardman, Professor of Neonatal Medicine, University of Edinburgh, and Honorary Consultant Neonatologist, NHS Lothian
- Professor Jane Sandall CBE FMedSci, Professor of Social Science and Women’s Health, King’s College, London
- Professor Jane O’Hara, Research Professor, The Healthcare Improvement Studies (THIS) Institute, University of Cambridge
- Dr Jideofor Menakaya, Consultant Neonatologist Paediatrician, The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Dr Jonathan Cusack, Consultant Neonatologist, Leicester Neonatal Service, and Clinical Director, Women’s and Children’s, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
- Dr Katherine Barton, Chair - National Trainees Committee, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), and ST7 Obstetrics and Gynaecology Trainee, The Mid-Yorkshire NHS Teaching Trust
- Dr Katie Gallagher, Clinical Associate Professor Children’s and Neonatal Nursing, University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, and Chair of the Neonatal Nurses Association (NNA)
- Dr Kylie Watson, Consultant Clinical Academic Midwife, Saint Mary’s Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
- Martin Bromiley OBE, Founder, Clinical Human Factors Group
- Dr Melissa Whitten, Consultant in Obstetrics and Fetal and Maternal Medicine, University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust
- Michelle Cudjoe, Group Chief Midwifery Officer, St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group
- Professor Michael West CBE, Professor of Organisational Psychology, Lancaster University Management School, Senior Visiting Fellow, The King’s Fund, and Emeritus Professor, Aston University
- Dr Nuala Lucas, President, Obstetric Anaesthetists Association
- Rachel Best SFHEA, Professional Lead for Midwifery, Associate Head of School: Health and Social Care (Midwifery), Lead Midwife for Education, Chair of the UK Lead Midwives for Education Strategic Reference Group, Sheffield Hallam University
- Sam Pretlove, Consultant in Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and Maternity Improvement Advisor for NHS England
- Sarah Muckle, Director for Wellbeing, Public Health and Communities, Essex County Council
- Dr Sarah Winfield, Consultant Obstetrician and Head of Clinical Service for Obstetrics, The Mid-Yorkshire Teaching Trust, Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield
- Shazia Hoodbhoy, Consultant Neonatologist, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Shirley Peterson, Chief Midwife, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
Health equity group
The health equity group comprises of people who can speak to inequalities for:
- Black and Asian women and babies
- women with disabilities
- Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
- women with other known risk factors for worse outcomes and experiences
This spans clinicians, charitable organisations, academics and people with lived experience. Two representatives from this group will sit on the taskforce: the chair and an additional lived experience representative.
Additional members are being considered to ensure the group is as representative as possible of those who face inequalities.
Membership
Chair: Habib Naqvi
Lived experience representative: Lauren Caulfield
Members:
- Amarjit Kaur Matharoo, Bereaved Mother, Lived Experience expert
- Aramide Caunt, Director and Founder, The Black Maternal Advocate Ltd
- Benash Nazmeen, Director and Co-Founder, Association of South Asian Midwives CIC
- Clotilde Abe, Co-Founder and Strategy, and Operations Lead, Five X More
- Emma Bray, Lived Experience and Maternity Lead, Friends, Families and Travellers
- Professor Gina Awoko Higginbottom MBE, Emeritus Professor of Ethnicity and Community Health, University of Nottingham
- Professor Hannah Kuper, Professor of Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Hazel Williams, Chief Executive, Birthrights
- Jill Benjoya Miller, Perinatal Programme Lead, Happy Baby Community
- Professor Judith Rankin OBE, Professor of Maternal and Child Health, Newcastle University
- Kirsty Kitchen, Director, The Birth Companions Institute
- Manisha Sheth, Co-Founder, Culturally Aligned Practice Educator, and Perinatal Counsellor, Support Me CIC
- Dr Michelle Peter, Head of Research and Operations, Global Child and Maternal Health
- Nafiza Anwar, Director and Co-Founder, Association of South Asian Midwives CIC
- Dr Nighat Arif, NHS GP with Specialist Interest in Women’s Health, Co-Founder of The Health Collective
- Sandra Igwe MBE, Founder and CEO, The Motherhood Group
- Sonah Paton, Managing Director, Black Mothers Matter
- Tinuke Awe, Co-Founder and Engagement and Media Lead, Five X More
Charity and third sector group
This group comprises charity and third sector organisations operating within the maternity and neonatal sector, who play a central role in supporting women, babies and families. It includes members with insights across advocacy, bereavement support, community outreach, and specialist areas, including violence against women and girls.
This group will also support the taskforce to hear seldom-heard voices through the organisations’ networks and community roots.
Membership
Chair: Clea Harmer
Members:
- Alison Fuller, Director of Health Improvement and Influencing, Epilepsy Action
- Angela McConville, Chief Executive, National Childbirth Trust
- Caroline Lee-Davey, Chief Executive, Bliss
- Chloë Oliver, Chief Executive, The MASIC Foundation
- Jane Plumb MBE FRCOG, Chief Executive, Group B Strep Support, and Chair, Pregnancy and Babies Charities Network
- Jessica Weeks, Founder, Hannah’s House
- Jo Dagustun, Volunteer, AIMS
- Karen Middleton, Head of Campaigns and Policy, Maternal Mental Health Alliance
- Karen Wint, CEO, Sister Circle
- Kath Abrahams, CEO, Tommy’s
- Dr Kim Thomas, CEO, Birth Trauma Association
- Laura-Rose Thorogood, CEO, Make Birth Better, and Founder, LGBT Mummies
- Lauren Seager-Smith, CEO, The For Baby’s Sake Trust
- Louisa Hendrickson, Director and Founder, Zion’s Lighthouse
- Rachel Burrell, Director, Ebony Bonds Bereavement Support
- Sara Ledger, Head of Research and Development, Baby Lifeline
- Tracey Bignall, Director of Policy and Engagement, Race Equality Foundation
- Yvonne MacNamara, The Traveller Movement
- Zoe Clark-Coates MBE, Founder and CEO, Mariposa International
Regulatory and investigatory bodies group
This group includes regulatory and investigatory bodies operating within the maternity and neonatal sector who play a central role in ensuring accountability in care for women, babies, families and staff.
Membership
Chair: Baroness Merron
Members:
- Professor Jennifer J Kurinczuk, Emeritus Professor, National Programme Lead Perinatal Mortality Review Tool (PMRT), University of Oxford
- Professor Karen Luyt, Director National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) Programme Child Mortality Analysis Unit, University of Bristol
- Professor Marian Knight MBE, Professor of Maternal and Child Population Health, University of Oxford, Programme Lead for the MBRRACE-UK Maternal, Newborn and Infant Clinical Outcomes Review Programme
- Megan Bidder, Director of Safety and Learning, NHS Resolution
- Nicola Wise, Director of Hospitals, Care Quality Commission
- Dr. Rosie Benneyworth, Interim CEO of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body
- Sandy Lewis, Director, Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigation (MNSI) programme
- Tracey MacCormack, Assistant Director for Midwifery, The Nursing and Midwifery Council
- a representative from the General Medical Council
- a representative from each family expert reference group
Parliamentary and mayoral group
This group includes parliamentarians and mayoral representation with an interest in maternity and neonatal services. It provides parliamentary and place-based perspectives to inform the Taskforce’s work and development of the national action plan.
Membership
Members:
- Andy MacNae MP
- Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
- Baroness Glenys Thornton
- Mayor Helen Godwin
- Layla Moran MP
- Lizzi Collinge MP
- Dr Marie Tidball MP
- Maya Ellis MP
- Lord Naren Patel
- Baroness Sugg
Record of meetings
March 2026: meeting note and actions