Today, FFT has written to Baroness Amos in response to the lack of recognition of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in the final report of the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation.
During the investigation, we worked closely with Department of Health and Social Care colleagues to ensure Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities were included, and this was reflected in the investigation’s interim report. However, this has not been carried forward. Our concerns are outlined in the letter, which can be seen here in full, and copied below:
Dear Baroness Amos,
Re: Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation
We write regarding the final report of the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation (NMNI). We recognise the significant work undertaken through the investigation, particularly its focus on inequalities, patient experience, data and accountability.
However, we are deeply disappointed that the final report does not specifically recognise Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, the significant inequalities they experience, or the evidence contributed to the investigation.
Friends, Families and Travellers has worked alongside Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities for many years to address maternal and postnatal inequalities. During the NMNI, FFT and Roma Support Group worked with DHSC colleagues to facilitate Gypsy, Roma and Traveller-only evidence panels and contributed to professional evidence sessions. Two FFT lived experience experts gave evidence directly to you, and more than 35 Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people contributed through evidence panels, sharing their experiences and advocating for change.
This is particularly significant given that the Investigation’s February 2026 interim report acknowledged the lack of information on outcomes for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. It noted that limited information meant some forms of discrimination remained under-recognised. However, this acknowledgement does not appear to have been carried forward into the final report or its supplementary data evidence, which contains no specific reference to Gypsy, Roma or Traveller communities.
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities experience longstanding and profound health inequalities, including poor maternal and perinatal outcomes. Yet they remain routinely overlooked in research, data collection and targeted action. The NHS’s inconsistent collection of ethnicity data, alongside their small numbers in many datasets and research studies, means their inequalities can remain statistically and institutionally invisible. This is particularly concerning given the investigation’s emphasis on better data, ethnicity monitoring and accountability. Published evidence demonstrates significant inequalities, including higher rates of child mortality and disproportionate poor perinatal outcomes.
We are also concerned that the recommendations relating to the proposed Modern Service Framework do not extend its accountability measures to inclusion health groups, including Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. While Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities are recognised as an inclusion health group within NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 framework, they are not explicitly identified within its application to maternity and neonatal care.
We therefore respectfully ask that a follow-up report or supplementary statement include the following:
1. Explicit recognition of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities within the Modern Service Framework, including within recommendations for accountability for persistent inequalities.
2. Strengthened recommendations on ethnicity monitoring and data collection to explicitly include Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller categories.
3. Explicit recognition of the relevance of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities within the maternity component of Core20PLUS5, reflecting their status as an inclusion health group and the persistent inequalities they experience.
4. Specific reference to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities within the investigation’s recommendations, ensuring that NHS organisations, Integrated Care Systems and maternity services are accountable for addressing the inequalities they experience.
We recognise that the investigation could not address every population or dimension of inequality. However, where communities experience well-documented inequalities and have directly contributed evidence and lived experience, we believe they should be visible within national findings and recommendations.
Without specific data, insight and recommendations relating to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, there is a real risk that their inequalities will continue to be overlooked. Their omission from the final report risks perpetuating the invisibility that has contributed to these inequalities for so long.
We hope you will consider these recommendations and the opportunity to strengthen the NMNI’s legacy by explicitly recognising Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further with you and your team.
Thank you again for the considerable work undertaken through the investigation, and for the opportunity given to Gypsies, Roma and Travellers to contribute their experiences.
[END]
About Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT)
Friends, Families and Travellers is a leading national charity that works to end racism and discrimination against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people and to protect the right to pursue a nomadic way of life.
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