Bedford and Kempston MP Mohammad Yasin has raised concerns in Parliament about maternity care at Bedford Hospital, following last year’s downgrade of its services to ‘Inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Speaking during Women and Equalities departmental questions in the House of Commons on Tuesday morning (2 September), Mr Yasin called on the Government to ensure the new national maternity review addresses the loss of local birthing options and leads to improved outcomes for mothers and babies.
He said: “Sadly, Bedford Hospital’s maternity services were downgraded to ‘Inadequate’ last year, and its gold-standard homebirth service has recently been reduced.
Will the Minister ensure that the review examines why choices for birthing services are still being cut, and will they guarantee improved outcomes in maternity and perinatal care so that all women can access safe, personalised, high-quality care?”
Responding, Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State at the Department of Health and Social Care, acknowledged the importance of the issue and Mr Yasin’s work on behalf of his constituents.
He confirmed the CQC would continue to monitor maternity services in Bedford closely, including through further inspections, while improvements are made.
“The investigation will seek to understand the systemic issues as to why so many women, babies and families experience unacceptable care,” he said.
“The chair [Baroness Amos] is working with families to finalise the terms of reference for the investigation, and these will be published shortly.”
The exchange follows Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s announcement in June of a new national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services.
The review, to be led by Baroness Valerie Amos, was launched in response to long-standing concerns over safety, leadership, and quality of care across the country.
Bedford Hospital’s maternity service was rated ‘Inadequate’ in 2023 by the CQC, with inspectors highlighting issues in leadership, midwife staffing, and care planning.
Greater clarity needed
The service is operated by Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs Luton & Dunstable Hospital.
Speaking after the debate, Mr Yasin said he was pleased the government was “taking this issue very seriously”, but urged greater clarity over whether Bedford will be one of the 10 hospitals reviewed in detail by Baroness Amos.
“I look forward to the findings of the investigation but more importantly, look forward to the action being taken,” he said. “It’s still not clear which Trusts are included in the 10 selected for close inspection.
Many of the issues at Bedford Hospital reflect systemic failings across the country, but expectant mothers and parents want to see improvements in services now.”
Read: Planned new elective care hub at Bedford Hospital makes progress
The Amos Review is expected to begin work this summer, with initial recommendations published by December 2025. Its aim is to produce a national plan of action, informed by the voices of bereaved and harmed families, to address systemic failures and restore trust in maternity care.
Baroness Amos, who was appointed following feedback from affected families asking for someone independent of the NHS, said: “I will carry the weight of the loss suffered by families with me throughout this investigation.
I hope that we will be able to provide the answers that families are seeking and support the NHS in identifying areas of care requiring urgent reform.”
The Department of Health has admitted that maternity and neonatal care in England has suffered from decades of underperformance, with repeated reviews over the past 15 years exposing problems in safety, accountability, and compassion.
