Maternity services in crisis – designing better beginnings

Rebuilding trust with data and evidence to deliver safer, fairer maternity care

Across England, maternity services face intense scrutiny. In June 2025, the Health and Social Care Secretary launched a rapid national investigation into maternity and neonatal services to deliver truth and accountability for affected families and drive urgent improvements.

Few issues preoccupy Trust Boards more than the challenge of maternity services.  

The eight instalment of Strasys’s influential “Thinking Differently” webinar series, titled “Designing Better Beginnings?”, brought together some of the most respected voices in health policy, clinical practice and innovation.

Below are the key insights from the expert panel, offering a blueprint for reimaging healthcare for children and young people and improve their life chances.

Part 1 – Chair’s opening remarks – the maternity care crisis

Naeem Younis, Founder and CEO, Strasys

Part 2 – Cornwall’s maternity success story: leadership and culture

Kate Shields, former Chief Executive of Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust and Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICB

Part 3 – Improving maternity safety: a journey to better care

Dr Andy Heeps, Interim Chief Executive of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

Part 4 – The power of listening: transforming maternity care for families

Kim O’Keeffe, CNO and Dep CEO, Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust

Part 5 – GenAI and data in maternity care: smarter decisions, better outcomes

Mark Jennings, Chief Solutions and Services Officer at Strasys, NED Alder Hey NHS FT

Part 6 – Q&A

Panel

Learn more about the Strasys Maternity Index (SMI) and get in touch to discover where your Trust ranks relative to peers across England.