Category Archives: Health

Saving Lives, Improving Mothers’ Care 2026 – Lessons learned to inform maternity care from the UK and Ireland Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity 2022-24

This is the compiled materials for the 2026 MBRRACE-UK Saving Lives, Improving Mothers’ Care annual report published on the 10th September 2026.

The full compiled 2026 report including all supplementary material is available via link below. Alongside the full report is a shorter ‘State of the Nation’ report containing limited surveillance and confidential enquiry findings, a lay summary and infographics.

For links go to https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/mbrrace-uk/reports/maternal-reports/maternal-report-2022-2024

First UK-wide clinical guidelines for paediatric non-fatal strangulation launched to transform the clinical response – IFAS

The Institute for Addressing Strangulation (IFAS) has recently published the UK’s first Guidelines for clinical management of paediatric (under 16) non-fatal strangulation, closing a significant gap in clinical practice and providing dedicated guidance for healthcare professionals for the first time.

Building on IFAS’s previously published adult clinical guidelines for emergency and acute care settings, the new guidance responds to the clear need for dedicated recommendations for paediatric patients. Until now, clinicians caring for children following suspected or confirmed non-fatal strangulation had no dedicated UK guidance and often had to rely on protocols developed for adults. The new guidelines have been developed by a UK-wide Intercollegiate Working Group convened by IFAS, bringing together more than 60 senior clinicians, Royal Colleges, professional bodies and frontline professionals from across the UK to develop evidence-informed, consensus-based recommendations.

The guidance arrives against a backdrop of increasing concern. Home Office data shows recorded non-fatal strangulation and suffocation offences against under-18s in England and Wales increased from 2,130 in 2022–23 to 4,888 in 2024–25 (IFAS Police Report Data, 2023–2025). Evidence also shows that hanging/strangulation is the most common method of suicide among children and young people in England, accounting for 69% of deaths in 2019–20 (National Child Mortality Database Programme, 2021).

The guidelines provide practical recommendations covering clinical assessment, imaging, safeguarding, mental health, admission and discharge planning, while recognising that children who have experienced strangulation may present with little or no visible injury despite the potential for significant harm.

Alongside the clinical guidelines, IFAS has also published a new information leaflet for children, young people and their families following a medical assessment for non-fatal strangulation. The leaflet has been developed to help children, young people and their families better understand non-fatal strangulation, what to expect following a medical assessment, and where they can access further support and information.

Dr Catherine Hayhurst, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Co-Chair Quality in Emergency Care Committee, Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), said:

“RCEM is pleased that a review of the evidence has shown that there is no need to routinely do a CT angiogram in young people given the radiation exposure. This update of the guidance continues to have an emphasis on safeguarding and also highlights mental health issues for patients presenting with non-fatal strangulation.”

Professor Cath White, Medical Director, IFAS, said:

“There simply wasn’t a UK guideline for managing non-fatal strangulation in children, so clinicians were doing their best with guidance written for adults. We brought together more than 60 clinicians from across the UK – including Royal Colleges, specialist organisations and frontline professionals – to build something better. We listened, challenged one another and developed guidance that addresses a real need. These are the first UK guidelines, but they won’t be the last. As the evidence grows, we’ll continue to learn and refine them to ensure children receive the best possible care.”

Bernie Ryan OBE, Chief Executive of IFAS, said:

“Our adult clinical guidelines helped establish a more consistent response to non-fatal strangulation across the UK. Children deserve that same standard of evidence-based clinical and trauma-informed care. These new guidelines, together with the new information leaflet developed in partnership with SafeLives Changemakers, survivors and Beyond Equality, are the result of extraordinary collaboration across the healthcare community and represent an important step forward in improving outcomes for children and young people.”

About IFAS

The Institute for Addressing Strangulation (IFAS) is the UK’s leading authority on non-fatal strangulation, established in October 2022 with Home Office funding. IFAS works across research, training, policy and survivor engagement, alongside partners in government, healthcare, criminal justice, and specialist services, to improve the UK’s understanding and response to strangulation. Since 2022, IFAS and its partners have trained more than 22,000 frontline professionals, including through its partnership with SafeLives.

https://ifas.org.uk/blog/https-first-uk-wide-clinical-guidelines-for-paediatric-non-fatal-strangulation-launched-to-transform-the-clinical-response/

August 26, 2026

Martha’s Rule extended to all maternity services – Department of Health & Social Care

Landmark patient safety initiative, Martha’s Rule, rolled out to all maternity settings after review found serious and sustained failures.

Mothers and newborns across the country will be better protected, as landmark patient safety measure Martha’s Rule will be rolled out to all maternity settings in England, following a string of serious and sustained failures at maternity wards in the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH).

Donna Ockenden’s review – the largest into maternity and neonatal services in NHS history – considered the experiences of maternity care for 2,500 families and found women ignored or complaints dismissed, missed opportunities to identify deteriorating patients and a culture of silencing both junior staff and parents.

The government will today (Wednesday 24 June) commit to rolling out Martha’s Rule across maternity and neonatal wards in England to ensure every parent can request a rapid review from an independent medical team if a baby or mother’s condition is deteriorating and they are concerned this is not being responded to.

The scheme – which is helping transform the NHS’s culture and has been rolled out for inpatients in every acute hospital in England – has already been piloted in 15 maternity and neonatal settings, with rollout to more expected this year.

NHS data shows that there have already been over 2,100 calls to Martha’s Rule requiring changes in a patient’s treatment, with over 600 calls leading to potentially life-saving interventions to transfer them to enhanced levels of care.

The safety initiative is named after Martha Mills, who died in 2021 aged 13 after developing sepsis in hospital, where she had been admitted with a pancreatic injury after falling off her bike.

Martha’s family’s concerns about her deteriorating condition were not responded to, and in 2022 a coroner ruled that Martha would probably have survived had she been moved to intensive care earlier.

Those responsible for failures will be compelled to give evidence to investigations into failing maternity care to end a culture of secrecy and prevent further harm.

This action will help ensure the reviews in Leeds and Sussex are fair and comprehensive, so that uncovering the truth does not rely solely on those who choose to come forward voluntarily. Those who refuse to do so or deliberately withhold information about failures could face up to 2 years in prison.

The measures are designed to tackle the culture of silence exposed by the Nottingham review, where over 800 staff gave evidence but many described a culture of being silenced by senior clinicians and hospital bosses when raising concerns around patient safety. This will ensure that for both reviews of Sussex and Leeds, staff are heard and families are closer to getting the answers they deserve.

Reports of incidents in mortuaries across the country will also be more tightly reviewed, following the deeply concerning findings about the lack of respect given to deceased babies, and the complete disregard to their dignity. The Human Tissue Authority will require all mortuaries to review internal records dating from 2015 to 2026 to ensure all incidents have been logged and reported. This will strengthen accountability, ensuring concerns cannot be hidden or overlooked.

NUH is also taking immediate action, introducing a new helpline for concerned members of the public available from today. The helpline will provide support for families who use or have used NUH maternity and neonatal services and may have concerns or questions following the publication of the report and media coverage. Details on how to access this service will be available via the NUH website.

This government has already taken urgent action on maternity. Since 2025, the government has invested £145 million to improve the safety of maternity and neonatal care facilities. Other measures include:

implementing a new programme to reduce the 2 leading causes of avoidable brain injury during labour
delivering a package of initiatives and interventions to reduce stillbirths, neonatal brain injury, neonatal death and preterm birth
introducing a Perinatal Culture and Leadership Programme to develop a culture of safety, learning and support for leads from all maternity and neonatal units
expanding maternal mental health services to help women and extended the baby loss certificate scheme to include all historic losses
rolling out guidance across the NHS to tackle the leading causes of maternal death including thrombosis, mental health, epilepsy and haemorrhage

A national action plan will be developed through the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by the Secretary of State, bringing together the findings of this review and Baroness Amos’ report to drive real and lasting change for women and families across the country.

Extracts from a longer press release at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/marthas-rule-extended-to-all-maternity-services

June 29, 2026

Suicide remains leading maternal death cause – Parliamentary Briefing

Parliamentary briefing highlights gaps in perinatal mental health care across England, raising concerns for mothers.

Suicide remains the leading cause of maternal death in the year after childbirth, according to a new parliamentary briefing.

The report, published by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) and co-founded by the British Psychological Society, estimates around 130,000 women each year experience mental health problems during pregnancy or within a year of giving birth.

130,000 women roughly equates to one in four.

Researchers warn that without urgent support, mental health problems can disrupt mother-infant bonding and increase the risk of emotional, behavioural and cognitive difficulties in children that may persist into adolescence.

According to the findings, suicide is the leading cause of death between six weeks and one year after pregnancy. Between 2021 and 2023, one in three women who died from mental health-related causes had received the recommended care, suggesting existing systems are not sufficient.

The financial cost is also high. Untreated perinatal mental health problems are estimated to cost the UK £8.1bn each year. Researchers say that investing £124m annually in training health visitors and midwives could bring nearly £500m in benefits over ten years.

Access to care remains something of a lottery. Specialist perinatal mental health services are considered world leading, but they mainly focus on women with moderate to severe needs. An estimated 115,000 women with mild to moderate systems fall into a gap, despite still requiring support.

The research also points to clear inequalities. Black women and those from minority ethnic backgrounds are less likely to be asked about their mental health or to receive support. What’s more, women living in more deprived are less likely to experience these problems than those in wealthier areas.

The government’s Women’s Health Strategy, updated in April 2026, includes a £200m investment in the Healthy Babies Programme and Best Start Family Hubs. However, researchers and charities say staff shortages remain a major issue, with the number of health visitors falling by 21% since 2016.

‘Fear of judgement deters many women from disclosing mental health problems,’ the report notes, with an estimated 70% hiding their struggles. Without changes to funding, workforce capacity and continuity of care, experts say thousands of mothers and babies will continue to fall through the cracks.

The full report can be read here.

https://socialcare.today/2026/04/23/suicide-remains-leading-maternal-death-cause-report-warns/

May 13, 2026

Domestic Homicides and Suspected Victim Suicides 2020-2025 Report – Domestic Homicide Project

The fifth annual report from the national Domestic Homicide Project, which works across England and Wales, was published in April 2026. The report examines domestic abuse related deaths identified by police to improve understanding of risk indicators, victim and perpetrator demographics. The unique dataset provides detailed information on these deaths not available from any other source, helping police and partners improve their response to domestic abuse, domestic homicide and suspected victim suicide following domestic abuse.

The National Domestic Homicide Project is a Home Office funded research project led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and delivered by the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) within the College of Policing.

As well as providing detailed analysis of domestic abuse-related deaths, the project also works with bereaved families of victims, who continue to be a key driver for change across the criminal justice system.

Key findings from the Year 5 report:

347 deaths were recorded between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025:

150 suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse (SVSDA)
125 domestic homicides, including:
- 80 intimate partner homicides (IPH)
- 45 adult family homicides (AFH)
43 unexpected deaths
17 child deaths
12 ‘other’ deaths (where the victim and suspect lived together but were not related or intimate partners)

Across the five-year period (1 April 2020 – 31 March 2025), 1,452 domestic abuse-related deaths were recorded:

641 domestic homicides (44%)
553 suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse (38%)
131 unexpected deaths (9%)
86 child deaths (6%)
41 ‘other’ deaths (3%)

For the third year in a row, suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse have overtaken other categories to become the most commonly recorded type of death. This reflects increased awareness and progress in identifying the links between domestic abuse and suicide.

Across the dataset, the majority of victims were female (73%) and most suspects were male (79%). In cases involving intimate partners, the most common scenario remained a female victim and male suspect.

In 88% of suspected victim suicide cases, there was a known history of domestic abuse recorded by police prior to the victim’s death, highlighting opportunities for earlier intervention.

Mental health was the most commonly identified care need for both victims and suspects, and coercive and controlling behaviour remained a key risk factor across multiple types of domestic abuse-related deaths.

In 70% of cases, the victim and/or suspect was known to partner agencies, reinforcing the importance of multi-agency working and information sharing.

https://www.vkpp.org.uk/vkpp-work/domestic-homicide-project/