NMC admits it was too slow to act on maternity failings and allowed fitness to practise cases to drift

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has acknowledged that it has been too slow to react to serious maternity failings and has allowed Fitness to Practise (FtP) cases involving midwives to run on for far too long, contributing to distress for families seeking answers.

The admission comes as the regulator responded to the final report of Baroness Amos’s Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, which highlights a now‑familiar pattern seen across Morecambe Bay, Shrewsbury and Telford, East Kent and, most recently, Nottingham: women not listened to, warning signs missed, and families left fighting for years to be heard.

Chief Executive and Registrar Paul Rees said the regulator must take responsibility for its part in these systemic failures. He apologised directly to affected families, saying: “Where the NMC has been too slow to react in the case of maternity failings, where it has allowed Fitness to Practise cases to go on for too long, and failed to take a trauma‑informed, families‑first approach, I am truly sorry.”

The NMC said it needs to be more open about where cases sit within the FtP process and ensure investigations progress as quickly as possible. It also committed to improving communication with families and making its processes more accessible, after repeated criticism that families were left in the dark while cases stalled.

The regulator outlined several actions it will take, including:

• Strengthening midwifery education, with a consultation underway on extending training to four years.
• Modernising the Code, with clearer expectations on listening to women and practising with candour.
• Embedding anti‑racism principles, following evidence of stark inequalities in maternity outcomes.
• Improving how concerns are raised and acted upon, making it easier for families to understand and navigate the system.
• Resolving sensitive cases more effectively, with a more consistent, trauma‑informed approach.

The NMC will also work with the newly announced Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner and contribute to the National Action Plan due in December.

Baroness Amos and affected families have called for regulators’ roles to be scrutinised to rebuild trust and ensure systems are rigorous, accessible and responsive. The NMC said it will report progress openly so families and the public can hold it to account.

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