Women and families failed by maternity services will be better heard and their experiences will drive lasting improvements to care, as Michelle Welsh MP has been appointed as the government’s first Maternity Advisor.
Welsh will work directly with families, the government, the NHS and key maternity organisations to push for better, safer care for mothers, babies and families.
She will meet regularly with ministers to share evidence and advice, and work with families and communities to bring a wide range of voices into the heart of the government’s action to improve maternity services. There will be a special focus on those from communities that face the greatest health inequalities.
Health and Social Care Secretary James Murray said
Far too many women and families have been let down by maternity services, and that must change.
Michelle Welsh brings exactly the commitment and expertise this role demands, and I know she will be a powerful champion for the women and families.
Today marks a significant step forward in our determination to make maternity care safer for every mother and baby in England.
Michelle Welsh, MP and Maternity Advisor said
I am honoured to have been appointed as the National Maternity Advisor to the Government.
This role is deeply personal to me. Like far too many women across this country, I know what it feels like to come through childbirth carrying both physical and emotional scars. That experience has strengthened my determination to fight for safer, more compassionate maternity care for every family.
As National Maternity Advisor, I will work tirelessly to drive forward meaningful reform focused on safer staffing, stronger accountability, listening to women, tackling inequalities and ensuring lessons are learned when failures happen.
This is about rebuilding trust and creating a maternity system that is not only safer, but kinder too.
Kate Brintworth, Chief Midwifery Officer for England, said
I warmly welcome Michelle Welsh to this new role of Maternity Advisor and look forward to working together to improve maternity care across the country.
Michelle will be a fantastic advocate to ensure women’s experiences and voices are heard and help us continue to shine a light on and address the inequalities faced by mothers and babies from ethnic minorities.
Her appointment and the work of the taskforce will be vital to our drive to ensure that all women experience the best maternity care before, during and after their pregnancy.
Welsh brings both personal and professional experience to the role. As a harmed mother from Nottinghamshire, she has lived through the failures she is now fighting to fix.
As Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Maternity, Welsh has also spoken to thousands of other women and families across the country about their experiences and has been a tireless advocate for making maternity services safer, particularly for Black, Asian and minority women who face the greatest inequalities in care.
Welsh was also the first elected member in Nottinghamshire to call for an independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, in 2020.
Welsh will also sit as a member on the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce – set up to drive change in response to Baroness Amos’ independent investigation into maternity and neonatal care. Welsh will work closely with the Taskforce on the response and implementation of the actions from the investigation, expected in June.
Separately, the Taskforce has today published its Terms of Reference.
The Taskforce has two core jobs developing a national action plan covering the full maternity journey, from pre-pregnancy through to postnatal and bereavement support, and holding the NHS to account for delivering real improvements for women, babies and families. A key focus will be closing the stark inequalities that mean Black and Asian women are significantly more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth than white women.
Families and those with lived experience remain at the heart of the Taskforce’s work. This includes membership of the Expert Reference Groups announced today, which bring together families, clinicians, charities and academics to directly inform its decisions.
This builds on significant action the government has already taken since July 2024, including investing £149 million in maternity and neonatal facilities, and expanding mental health services and baby loss support for families.