Overview

• NHS Resolution forecasts £37.5bn in maternity negligence settlements, accounting for nearly two-thirds of its £60bn clinical negligence provision
• Obstetric negligence claims reached a record 1,400 last year, double the annual total recorded in 2007
• More than £3.5bn in clinical claims related to maternity care were filed against NHS England over the past year
• Care Quality Commission inspections between 2022 and 2024 identified systemic staff shortages and rated around two-thirds of maternity units as inadequate or requiring improvement
• Health Secretary Wes Streeting has launched a two-part national review and taskforce to propose safety reforms and evaluate no-fault compensation models