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Committee publication · Correspondence · 8 July 2026

Correspondence from the NMC- Baroness Amos Maternity Review

From: Health and Social Care Committee

Summary

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) writes to acknowledge Baroness Amos's maternity and neonatal investigation report and outlines its commitments to implementation. The NMC commits to specific, time-bound actions including embedding anti-racism principles, extending midwifery education to four years, modernising professional standards, and accelerating its Fitness to Practise process to resolve maternity cases faster and with greater sensitivity to affected families.

Key findings

  • NMC acknowledges its Fitness to Practise process has not consistently provided timely outcomes, causing distress to families and undermining confidence in the regulator
  • NMC was too slow to adapt to families' needs during the Nottingham review but has adopted a 'families first' approach going forward
  • NMC will launch anti-racism principles for midwifery and nursing education in May 2026 in direct response to the Black maternal health crisis
  • NMC proposes increasing minimum pre-registration midwifery programmes from three to four years and will consult on modernised Code (September–December 2026, effective Autumn 2027)
  • NMC will collaborate with the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce and General Medical Council on multidisciplinary teamworking and will report progress transparently

Tone

Procedural

Topics

maternity-servicessafeguardingregulationhealth-inequitiesprofessional-standards

Key actors

Paul Rees MBE, Layla Moran MP, Baroness Amos, Donna Ockenden, Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, General Medical Council

Notable line

“We know trust will only be rebuilt through sustained action, openness and measurable improvement …”

Key Quotes

“In particular, our Fitness to Practise (FtP) process has not consistently provided timely outcomes for women, babies, families or professionals.”
— Paul Rees MBE · Acknowledging the NMC's regulatory failings
“We were too slow to adapt to the needs of families during the Nottingham review.”
— Paul Rees MBE · Reflecting on the NMC's response to the Nottingham maternity failings
“Black, Asian and ethnic minority women, and their children are more likely to die, or suffer harm during pregnancy, childbirth or after birth.”
— Paul Rees MBE · Justifying the need for anti-racism principles in midwifery and nursing
“This is a non-negotiable thread through all our standards work.”
— Paul Rees MBE · Committing to embedding anti-racism across the NMC's regulatory framework
“We will consult from September to December 2026, with the modernised Code coming into effect from Autumn”
— Paul Rees MBE · Outlining the timeline for strengthening professional standards in the Code
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Source · parliament.uk record ↗