# UK maternity care safety and systemic challenges > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/uk-maternity-care-safety-and-systemic-challenges > Updated: 2026-09-17T23:23:12.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2. The United Kingdom is addressing systemic challenges in maternity care, characterized by high maternal mortality rates and insufficient staffing. Reports from MBRRACE-UK have linked these safety issues to workforce capacity and deteriorating infrastructure. In response, the UK government has proposed establishing England’s first statutory maternity commissioner to investigate why necessary improvements are not being implemented within NHS trusts. In Wales, the government has introduced the ‘Call for Concern’ scheme to improve patient safety. Inspired by similar models in Australia and England, this initiative provides maternity and neonatal patients with a direct pathway to escalate urgent health concerns if they feel their worries are not being adequately addressed by medical staff. Various Welsh health boards, including Swansea Bay and Cardiff and Vale, have begun integrating these escalation pathways and documentation updates into their services. ## Timeline ### 2026-09-17: Wales rolls out NHS ‘Call for Concern’ maternity safety scheme Wales is introducing the ‘Call for Concern’ scheme, allowing maternity and neonatal patients to escalate urgent health worries directly to medical staff for further clinical review. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/wales-rolls-out-nhs-call-for-concern-maternity-safety-scheme ### 2026-09-09: Maternity care crisis in UK linked to staffing and infrastructure A report by MBRRACE-UK links high maternal death rates to staffing shortages, while the UK government moves to establish a statutory maternity commissioner to address systemic NHS maternity crises. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/maternity-care-crisis-in-uk-linked-to-staffing-and-infrastructure --- Cite as: UK maternity care safety and systemic challenges. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/uk-maternity-care-safety-and-systemic-challenges