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HOSPITAL bosses in Bradford have apologised after the publication of a report into maternity services they said was “hard to read.”
Representatives of Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust appeared before Bradford Council’s Health Scrutiny Committee on Thursday to discuss the Baroness Amos national report into maternity services.
The report, published in the Summer, said the system in England is no longer fit to consistently deliver high-quality, compassionate care to every woman and family, and requires urgent reform.
The investigation team visited 12 NHS trusts across the country, including Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the BRI.
Some families in Bradford told the investigation team that they came forward because they did not want others to experience the same trauma.
Others spoke of not being believed or taken seriously when raising concerns about their health or their baby’s wellbeing.
Common themes included feeling patronised, dismissed, or spoken to without compassion - particularly during intensely distressing moments.
At Thursday’s meetings, members were told that hospital bosses were never told when the issues raised by women in the report took place.
Sara Hollins, director of Midwifery, said: “We sincerely apologise to the families who experienced, and might continue to experience, harm.”
Mel Pickup, Chief Executive Officer for the Trust, said: “We welcomed the Baroness Amos included Bradford in her investigation, and it was good we were able to speak to her and let her know what is happening in Bradford.
“When we’re out talking to members of the public we see how important confidence in local services is.
“When things don’t go to plan and things are not happening right, that trust is eroded somewhat. To some extent that has happened with the hospital.
“We have to make sure that public confidence comes back to the service.
“Some things written in the report are hard to read. The report highlighted how some people feel racially discriminated against and they felt they were not being listened to.
“It is very difficult that we are still having conversations like this in 2026 in a place like Bradford.”
They told the committee that work was being done to better communicate with people from all cultures who use BRI’s maternity services.
They also pointed out that the Care Quality Commission recently rated maternity services at the hospital as “good.”
Councillor Ishtiaq Ahmed (Independent, Heaton and Frizinghall) said: “There is a clear gap between how services are meant top operate and what people’s experience is in practice.”
Mrs Hollins said: “We don’t know when the women in the Amos report had their experiences. We don’t know if these women had babies in the past two years or the past 20 years. If their experiences happened 10 years ago, have improvements been made?”
The committee was told that Baroness Amos’ team visited the hospital for one day, while the CQC were there for at least two days before writing their latest inspection.
They heard that BRI was “not an outlier” for poor maternity services, but more “middle of the road.”
The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce is scheduled to publish a follow-up action plan in December to address recommendations raised in the Amos Report.