A NATIONAL maternity commissioner will be appointed to address failures in NHS maternity care after a recent report called for urgent changes in the way women and families are treated.

The government agreed today to pick a commissioner who will provide independent leadership and ensure accountability within the system.

It represents one of the key recommendations made in the “rapid review” report into maternity care, led by Baroness Valerie Amos.

Families should have a right to an independent investigation into the provided care if they disagree with internal NHS reviews in the case something goes wrong, Lady Amos said.

The Department of Health will also publish a national action plan on maternity in December.

Her report also called for improvements in the culture in hospitals and better collaboration between midwives, obstetricians and other medics.

She found that poor care was embedded across the system, although “the vast majority of pregnancies and births in England have a positive outcome and we have seen many examples of good practice.”

Lady Amos suggested an overhaul of rotas to ensure obstetric consultants and anaesthetists are available on a delivery unit “for timely critical senior decision-making and intervention 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

The report found services were not designed to ensure consistent safety, resulting in “avoidable harm and lifelong trauma” and a “lack of accountability from trusts when things had gone wrong.”

Other concerns highlighted included “women and birthing people not being listened to, heard or believed” as well as racism and discrimination “embedded throughout the maternity and neonatal system, with profound implications for outcomes and the quality of care women and babies receive.”