Increasing numbers of women have been reported to be dying during pregnancy or in the weeks after giving birth.
According to the latest official data, there were 252 maternal deaths from 2022 to 2024 – 20% higher than the rates from 2009 to 2011. This is the equivalent of 12.8 deaths for every 100,000 women giving birth.
NHS England's chief midwife Kate Brintworth told Sky News that, while improvements were being made, "none of us think care is in the right place".
"We don't think that things are good enough," she said.
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"It's a terrible anguish to lose a child," she added. "I think it's one of the worst things that can happen to a human, and our responsibility as leaders in maternity is to make sure those families don't experience that anguish."
Ms Brintworth hopes today's announcements will ensure avoidable deaths are "significantly" reduced.
What's been announced?
The NHS says it will become the first healthcare system in the world to offer all pregnant women an early risk assessment for venous thromboembolism before their first antenatal appointment by next March.
The condition refers to blood clots that form in deep veins, which are now the leading cause of maternal deaths.
Anyone identified as being at high risk will be offered blood thinners to prevent clots within 72 hours.
Other changes to be brought in by March 2027 include giving every woman with epilepsy access to a local specialist team for managing the disorder in pregnancy, a tailored plan to help control seizures, and timely access to medications that are safe to use in pregnancy.
Women are also set to be routinely assessed for their mental health and referred to a specialist NHS perinatal mental health service if needed.
And those experiencing a haemorrhage or significant bleeding after birth will receive care from specialist obstetricians and anaesthetists sooner.
It comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting accused the NHS of having an "appalling culture of medical misogyny" as he set out a range of measures in a renewed Women's Health Strategy.
The NHS expects the full rollout of the measures in England will reduce the number of deaths caused by blood clots, strokes, cardiac disease, suicide, sepsis, obstetric haemorrhage and pre-eclampsia.
These account for 52% of maternal deaths.
It's also hoped it will tackle maternal suicides, which remained the leading cause of death occurring between six weeks and one year after the end of pregnancy between 2022 and 2024, accounting for 33% of deaths.
More than 403,000 people are now diagnosed with a form of the disease every year, the report says. That is the equivalent of approximately one person every 80 seconds.
Cancer Research UK's report attributes the rise to an "ageing and growing population". Rates have risen by 15% since the early 1990s – partly due to factors like obesity.
Michelle Mitchell, the charity's chief executive, said: "More people are being diagnosed with cancer than ever before. Although cancer survival has doubled since the 1970s, progress has slowed over the last decade."
She added that the government's recently published National Cancer Plan "could make a big difference, but only if it turns into improvements for cancer patients".
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The Cancer in the UK Report 2026 describes the National Cancer Plan for England as a crucial step towards improving cancer care but says "there needed to be funding and resources to translate ambition into impact".
The charity warns urgent action is needed on early diagnosis and is concerned that just over half of patients in the UK are diagnosed at an early stage, noting this figure has barely changed in recent years.
It recommends rolling out lung screening widely to catch as many as 7,800 additional cancer cases per year – if the programmes in England were optimised.
Cancer Research UK also calls for improvements to cancer prevention, saying it is "essential" that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill – becoming law soon – be "effectively implemented". It will ban anyone born after 2008 from smoking.
The charity also suggests investing in specialist staff and equipment to tackle waiting times – with around 107,000 patients waiting more than 62 days to start treatment in 2025.
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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We have delivered a record number of diagnostic tests in the last 12 months, backed by an extra £26 billion for the NHS – and the number of patients getting a cancer diagnosis or all-clear on time is the highest in five years – but we are not complacent.
"Our National Cancer Plan sets out how patients will receive a diagnosis faster, treatment sooner and better support to live well with cancer, with the aim of 75% of patients diagnosed from 2035 to be cancer-free or living well after five years.
"Our historic Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is due to come into law soon, will also protect future generations from cancer."
Rosenior, 41, parted company with the west London club following a fifth straight Premier League defeat where the team had failed to score.
The former Hull and Strasbourg boss signed a six-and-a-half-year deal in January, midway through the season, but his reign at Stamford Bridge has been cut short after less than four months - including seven losses in the last eight matches.
He started brightly, winning his first four Premier League games in charge and leading the team to the last 16 of the Champions League.
But the side have dropped down the table and are at risk of missing out on Champions League qualification for next season.
A 3-0 loss at Brighton on Tuesday made it five consecutive Premier League losses without scoring, for the first time since 1912.
Rosenior leaves Chelsea seventh in the table, seven points off Liverpool in fifth, who have a game in hand.
Calum McFarlane, who led the team for two matches following the departure of Enzo Maresca in January, will take charge as interim head coach until the end of the season, starting with Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Leeds at Wembley.
Chelsea FC said in a statement that Rosenior "has always conducted himself with the highest integrity and professionalism".
"This has not been a decision the Club has taken lightly, however recent results and performances have fallen below the necessary standards with still so much more to play for this season. Everyone at Chelsea FC wishes Liam every success in the future."
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Rosenior called his side's performance "indefensible" on Tuesday after a poor result at the Amex Stadium.
During the game, he was subjected directly to chants from supporters urging him to leave.
"I understand their frustration," he said of the fans.
"The buck stops with me."
The club are not in active discussions with candidates and intend to take their time over the next appointment, with no decision expected before the end of the season.
Rosenior had been appointed as a surprise replacement for Maresca.
Rosenior had signed a six-year contract with Chelsea when he moved from Strasbourg, owned by the Blues' parent company BlueCo.
Chelsea's collapse under Rosenior started with a 5-2 thrashing away to Paris St Germain on 11 March and from there the rot set in.
The team have since dropped down the league table, having not picked up a point since a win against Aston Villa on 4 March.
The two men, aged 19 and 26, were taken into custody in Watford, where they remain.
A total of nine people have been arrested over the past three days as part of a proactive investigation into an alleged conspiracy to commit arson, the force said in a statement.
Three men, aged 24, 25 and 26, were detained in Harpenden shortly after 9pm on Sunday, 19 April. They were taken into custody before being released on bail.
The day after, on Monday, a 25-year-old man was arrested in Stevenage. A 26-year-old man, and two women, aged 50 and 59, were also arrested in a car near Birmingham. They have since been released on bail.
On Tuesday, another man, aged 39, was arrested at an address in Ealing in relation to an investigation following the discovery of jars of a non-hazardous substance in Kensington Gardens on Friday, 17 April. He can be kept in custody until 28 April due to the police obtaining a warrant of further detention.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the Senior National Co-ordinator of Counter Terrorism Policing, said: "Our investigations continue at pace, and we are continuing to identify and arrest suspects who we believe were involved, or planning, the recent arson attacks in north west London.
"We've now had the first conviction in relation to this recent spate of arson attacks and seven others have been charged. We remain determined to identify, arrest and charge all those who have been involved in the recent criminal activity."
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Counter terror police have made a total of 25 arrests since an attack on Jewish-run ambulances in Golders Green, north London, in March.
The 21-year-old US musician, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, had been under investigation by a grand jury after the dismembered and decomposed body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found in a car registered to him in September.
He was arrested last Thursday and charged with Ms Hernandez's murder on Monday. He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14 and mutilating a dead body.
The girl's death was ruled a homicide in the post-mortem report by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office.
It found she had significant wounds to her torso, likely caused by a sharp object.
Her body was so degraded that experts could not establish her eye colour. And some of her body parts were missing.
The report, published on Wednesday, had been blocked from release for months.
A judge had ordered the report to be sealed in November at the request of law enforcement.
But prosecutors agreed this week to allow its release.
Family tribute to 'beautiful, strong girl'
The victim's parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, paid tribute to her, saying she was "a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance" as they made their first public statement.
"Every Friday night was movie night and we spent wonderful times together."
"We love her very much and she always told us that she loved us. We miss her deeply," they said in a joint statement released through their lawyer.
Prosecutors allege Burke killed the girl because she threatened to report they had a sexual relationship that began when she was 13 years old and he feared it would ruin his rising career.
A criminal complaint alleges he killed her with a sharp object and dismembered the body about two weeks later.
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LA County's chief medical examiner Dr Odey C Ukpo said: "After several months, I am grateful this information can now be released, not only to the public, but also to the grieving family enduring loss.
"It is unfathomable they have had to wait this long to learn what happened to their daughter."