Hunch. In June the government promised the plan for December 2026, and The Guardian reported in October that it was due before Christmas.
The publication market resolves YES if the government publishes its national maternity and neonatal action plan for England on GOV.UK by the end of 31 December 2026, and NO if not. BBC News and The Guardian are the backups.
We looked for cases where a UK government or national health service body published a national plan for maternity care that showed its view on the number or role of hospital units. We found eight such plans from 2004 to 2023, from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each time we checked whether the plan said some units should close, merge or change role.