Urgent safety risks in maternity and neonatal units in Berkshire, including fire safety and poor infrastructure, will be addressed thanks to a £4.5 million investment. 

Maternity and neonatal services across Berkshire will receive £4.5 million to tackle urgent safety risks and improve care for mothers and babies. The funding will be used to address the most pressing issues, including fire safety, poor ventilation and ageing infrastructure. 

The investment forms part of £187 million allocated for maternity and neonatal improvements across England since April 2025. It follows a further £25 million announced earlier this year to reduce maternal deaths, improve triage services and upgrade bereavement facilities.

The boost comes in response to the final report of the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, known as the Amos review, which was published in June. The review called for wide-ranging reforms after identifying serious failings in maternity care, including the creation of England’s first maternity and neonatal commissioner.

Yvette Cooper, who became health and social care secretary earlier this month, visited the maternity department at Royal Berkshire Hospital towards the end of July. During the visit, she said every family should be able to expect safe, high-quality maternity care and acknowledged that while progress has been made, much more work is needed to rebuild confidence. 

Cooper, who was a junior health minister 25 years ago, said maternity services were a “top” priority for her then and are again now. 

The new health secretary has been appointed chair of the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which is leading work to improve care across England.

The government says that since June 2024, “significant progress” has been made to reform maternity services in England, including recruiting 2,000 more midwives, introducing a national programme to reduce brain injuries during labour, and extending Martha’s Rule to maternity and neonatal wards across England.

The latest investment is intended to help NHS trusts address immediate safety concerns while wider reforms are introduced following the recommendations of the Amos review.