NHS Launches New Maternity Safety Watchdog

NHS England has launched a pioneering early warning system to enhance safety for mothers and newborns across its maternity wards. Named the Maternity Outcomes Signal System (Moss), it will continuously monitor data on deaths and serious harm, comparing outcomes across all NHS hospital trusts. This real-time statistical analysis aims to identify wards where adverse events are occurring at rates significantly higher than expected, indicating potential care issues rather than chance.

When the system detects a 95% statistical confidence that harm rates have doubled, ward leadership must initiate critical safety checks within eight working days. A 99% confidence level will trigger urgent attention, requiring senior trust executives to review care and sign off on actions. This proactive approach is designed to prevent the recurrence of failings that have led to hundreds of preventable deaths and injuries in recent years, as highlighted by inquiries into trusts like East Kent and Shrewsbury & Telford.

Developed in collaboration with experts who investigated past failures, Moss has been tested and is now being rolled out to all 120 NHS maternity units across England for 24/7 monitoring. Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting stated that this sophisticated system will ensure failures of the past are not repeated, guaranteeing that every mother and baby receives the safe care they deserve.