Overview
- Health Secretary Yvette Cooper unveiled the Healthy Babies programme at the Labour conference in Liverpool on Wednesday, connecting the reforms to failures exposed by the Lucy Letby case and the Thirlwall statutory inquiry.
- The plan pledges new national maternity standards and the appointment of an independent maternity and neonatal commissioner to improve tracking, reporting and accountability for baby and child deaths.
- Labour says the programme will rebuild Sure Start‑style health services into family hubs to offer infant feeding support, parental mental‑health help, midwifery and health visiting, with a target to reach about 1,000 hubs by 2028 though exact timelines vary between reports.
- Ministers announced a public‑health approach to violence against women and girls with almost £50 million for specialist referrals through GPs and victim support, while wider funding figures for Healthy Babies remain partially reported and unverified.
- The move restores national coordination that has been missing since 2012 and follows the Thirlwall inquiry finding that senior hospital leaders at the Countess of Chester delayed police contact and prioritised reputation over infant safety.