The government has announced £4.5 million to improve maternity and neonatal services in Berkshire.

The funding will be used to reduce the most urgent safety risks in maternity and neonatal facilities, including issues such as fire safety, ventilation and outdated infrastructure.

This funding is part of £187m announced for national improvements since April 2025 and a further £25 million to help tackle the causes of maternal death, improve triage services and enhance bereavement facilities announced earlier this year.

The investment comes in response to the landmark Amos Review published last month, including the creation of the first ever maternity and neonatal commissioner.

On a visit to the Royal Berkshire Hospital Maternity department on Wednesday 22 July, health secretary Yvette Cooper said: "When I was a junior health minister 25 years ago, maternity services were one of my top priorities and they will be again today. I think the importance of good quality maternity services in our NHS has too often been underestimated. So too has the traumatic impact for families when things go wrong. That’s why we’ve had deeply distressing cases where families were let down. Every woman having a baby in the NHS should feel safe and looked after, and that has to be our mission.

"It was a privilege to be at the Royal Berkshire hospital’s maternity department today, to meet staff and patients and talk about their experiences. It’s vital that we’re there for people and they can rely on us, particularly at the beginning of a newborn’s life. A lot of good work has been done but there is so much more to do."