Appoint a Maternity Commissioner to improve maternity care for mums and babies
This petition gathered 167,092 signatures between 7 January 2026 and 7 July 2026, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 28 January 2026. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 20 April 2026.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Appoint a Maternity Commissioner to improve maternity care for mums and babies
A 2024 parliamentary birth trauma inquiry recommended a Maternity Commissioner be appointed alongside a National Maternity Strategy to ensure mums and their babies were safe and looked after with professionalism and compassion.
As mothers affected by birth trauma, we believe the government should make this appointment to help restore confidence in maternity services which is why we are launching this petition.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 28 January 2026; the petitions site lists the Department of Health and Social Care as responsible. Its summary:
The Government has commissioned an independent Investigation into maternity and neonatal care, which makes recommendations this spring. There are no current plans to appoint a Maternity Commissioner.
The opening 368 words of the 594-word response:
While the vast majority of births in England are safe, the Government recognises that there are failings in care, including failure to learn from mistakes and provide accountability to families. These issues, coupled with stark inequalities in maternity outcomes and experience for women and babies from ethnic backgrounds and those living in more deprived areas, demonstrate that there are deep-rooted issues across maternity and neonatal services.
To help the Government understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies and families experience unacceptable care, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care appointed Baroness Amos to lead a rapid, independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services in June 2025. The investigation is looking into the maternity and neonatal system nationally and will bring together the findings of past reviews into one clear national set of recommendations.
The investigation will aim to understand the lived experiences of women, babies and families in England at all stages of the maternity and neonatal care pathway, which includes postnatal care and psychological support. It will also aim to understand the experiences of staff and healthcare professionals delivering care at all stages of the pathway, and how they can best be supported in providing high-quality, safe and compassionate care. To support this work, the investigation launched a Call for Evidence on 20 January 2026, which has been developed following extensive insight and feedback from families. This is a survey that is open for eight weeks, until 17 March 2026.
In December 2025, Baroness Amos published reflections on what she has heard so far as part of the investigation, following engagement with women and families. Her reflections highlighted ongoing issues experienced by women and families during their care, including a lack of communication, a lack of compassion and support when things go wrong, discrimination, and significant pressure on staff. The Secretary of State has agreed with Baroness Amos that the investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in spring 2026.
Given the investigation’s ongoing work to understand the systemic issues within maternity and neonatal services and to then make recommendations about how we should tackle this, the Government does not currently plan to appoint a Maternity Commissioner at this time.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies. Measured against each constituency's electorate at the 2024 general election, the most came from Tooting, with 13.7 signatures per 1,000 electors (1,047 in all).
166,103 of the signatures were from the UK and 989 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures | Electorate, July 2024 | Per 1,000 electors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tooting | 1,047 | 76,168 | 13.7 |
| Putney | 778 | 72,686 | 10.7 |
| Battersea | 754 | 72,827 | 10.4 |
| Chelsea and Fulham | 803 | 78,468 | 10.2 |
| Esher and Walton | 614 | 74,042 | 8.3 |
| Lewisham West and East Dulwich | 563 | 69,386 | 8.1 |
| Hertford and Stortford | 633 | 78,915 | 8.0 |
| Clapham and Brixton Hill | 585 | 74,159 | 7.9 |
| Wimbledon | 603 | 76,334 | 7.9 |
| Brentwood and Ongar | 578 | 75,352 | 7.7 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 30,980 |
| London | 24,858 |
| East of England | 20,420 |
| South West | 16,595 |
| North West | 15,574 |
| West Midlands | 11,847 |
| East Midlands | 11,148 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 10,777 |
| Scotland | 8,836 |
| Wales | 6,397 |
| North East | 4,412 |
| Northern Ireland | 3,103 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 20 April 2026. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/751174.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
10425e32d26c9f18… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.