Responding to an announcement from NHS England and NHS Improvement that maternity services will receive a £127m boost, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said:

"Trust leaders will, of course, welcome this new funding to increase and maintain staffing numbers in maternity and neonatal services, improve organisational culture, as well as increase the number of neonatal beds across England.

"These are important priorities for trust leaders, particularly as we await the findings of the final Ockenden report.

"As trusts seek to make ongoing improvements to maternity services, robust and continued emphasis on addressing workforce shortages and cultural issues remains fundamental to improve the quality of care patients receive, and to reduce patient harm as a result.

"However, while this funding is welcome and will help to make care safer and more patient-centred, the scale of the risks should not be understated, and more investment will be needed. Maternity services across England are facing a broad number of challenges, including widespread inequalities and disparities, a rise in the complexity of cases, as well as significant staffing shortages contributing to staff burnout.

"It is therefore essential that the government and national bodies keep this positive momentum going and do more to invest in improving maternity care."