Health Secretary Yvette Cooper says women should not feel pressured to achieve an “ideal birth,” as the government moves to improve maternity care. She promises the reintroduction of national maternity standards and describes a plan for “root-and-branch” reform following a series of maternity scandals. Cooper, returning to the health department after previously serving in government over two decades ago, says maternity and child health will be a major focus of her role. Her comments emphasize a patient-centred approach in which expectant mothers are not expected to meet predetermined outcomes. Alongside maternity reforms, she indicates broader responsibilities, including significant reform to social care. Across the reports, the core policy direction is consistent: national standards are set to be reinstated, and services are expected to be overhauled after prior failures highlighted in public investigations and reviews. The government’s stated aim is to strengthen expectations for care while changing how birth outcomes and experiences are framed for patients.
Yvette Cooper pledges maternity reforms to remove pressure around ‘ideal birth’
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper says women should not feel pressured to achieve an “ideal birth,” as the government moves to improve maternity care. She promises the reintroduction of national maternit...
- Yvette Cooper says women should not feel pressured to have an “ideal birth.”
- The government plans to reintroduce national maternity standards.
- Cooper pledges “root-and-branch” reform of maternity care after maternity scandals.
- Maternity and child health are described as major priorities for Cooper’s role.
- Cooper also signals work on broader social care reforms alongside maternity changes.
National maternity standards are set to be reintroduced under plans to improve maternity care
4 hours agoExclusive: New health secretary promises root-and-branch reform after damning maternity scandalsWomen should not feel pressurised into experiencing an “ideal birth”, the new health secretary, Yvette Cooper, has said, promising a root-and-branch reform of standards after several damning maternity scandals.Cooper, who returns to the department 27 years after she was the minister for public health under Tony Blair, said maternity and child health would be a major focus in the role, where she will also be expected to implement significant reforms to social care. Continue reading...
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