Tobi Thomas

Denis Campbell and Tobi Thomas A powerful maternity commissioner will be appointed to push through an urgent transformation of childbirth care in England after a major review concluded that it had multiple failings.

Valerie Amos's devastating indictment of maternity care has to be a “watershed moment” for how the NHS treats pregnant women and babies, the health secretary has said.

Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent Valerie Amos, a Labour peer and former diplomat, has published her long-awaited review into maternity and neonatal care across England.

Amos review confirms patients received unacceptable care that led to stillbirths, serious injuries and maternal deaths

Women from minority backgrounds are less likely to receive adequate pain relief during childbirth

Exclusive: Guardian analysis exposes evidence of racial inequalities in pain relief offered across healthcare

Patients from minority ethnic backgrounds often have to demonstrate higher levels of pain, only to receive less effective treatment

Read this exciting story from The Guardian July 03, 2026 issue. Childhood Even within childhood, those from minority-ethnic backgrounds are likely to experience their pain being minimised, while receiving inadequate treatment compared with their white counterparts.

Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent Giving women access to specialised care after their first miscarriage could prevent about 10,000 pregnancy losses a year across the UK, according to a study.

Analysis of 12 indicators including asthma, obesity and vaccination finds child health is ‘national embarrassment’