BREAKING: Wes Streeting announces national probe into NHS maternity services

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced the launch of a national investigation into NHS maternity services.

Mr Streeting made the announcement during a speech in East London about maternity safety. He previously said this is an issue that keeps him awake at night.

He told clinicians: "You know better than most that this is also a moment of risk and jeopardy for women and their babies, and that risk is considerably higher than it should be because of the state of the crisis and on maternity and neonatal services here in the UK."

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Mr Streeting said there have been "appalling scandals" and branded maternity "the biggest patient safety challenge facing our country". The Health Secretary said Black infants are twice as likely to be stillborn as White babies.

And he said maternity accounts for 41% of all medical negligence payouts. He stated: "I want to say publicly how sorry I am. Sorry for what the NHS has put them through. Sorry for the way they've been treated since by the state.

"And sorry that we haven't put this right yet because these families are owed more than an apology. They are owed change, they are owed real accountability and they are owed the truth."

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