Mr Streeting’s pledge to chair a new taskforce gives reason to hope that this issue will remain a priority. Repeatedly, he has stressed his shock after meeting families who have lost babies through inadequate care, and gone on to become campaigners. But the problems are wide as well as deep. While gross failings leading to multiple deaths in trusts including East Kent and Shrewsbury and Telford are notorious, many other hospitals do not meet acceptable standards. In a Care Quality Commission (CQC) review of 131 units between 2022 and 2024, almost half were judged to be unsafe.