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Written question asked by Bradley Thomas (Conservative) on Monday, 18 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 20 May 2026. It was answered by Preet Kaur Gill (Labour) on Tuesday, 30 June 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce: Anaesthetics

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including anaesthetists on the National Maternity and Neonatal Task Force; what consultation was taken with representative bodies of anaesthetists when creating the National Maternity and Neonatal Task Force; and whether he plans to include anaesthetists on the National Maternity and Neonatal Task Force in the future.

Answer

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce has been designed to be agile and make decisions at pace, whilst still representing a breadth of perspectives, experiences and professions across the maternity and neonatal system. Women’s representation on the Taskforce is essential.

However, we recognise the importance of much wider perspectives to ensure the Taskforce can achieve its aims, which is why we have set up eight expert reference groups, which will feed directly into the taskforce. These groups will ensure the taskforce benefits from a broad range of perspectives including from clinical, academic, workforce, charitable and grassroots organisations, families and women, and regulatory and investigatory bodies.

We currently have anaesthetist representation on the Workforce, Clinical and Academic Expert Reference Group, namely Dr Nuala Lucas, President of the Obstetric Anaesthetists Association.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
2398
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Health professions Anaesthetics National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk