‘Horrific’ maternity care failings at Nottingham NHS trust prompt calls for public inquiry
Summary
A report found serious problems with maternity care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, where 520 mothers and babies were harmed or died over several years. The report exposed poor care, understaffing, and bullying, leading to calls for a public inquiry into maternity services across England.Key Facts
- Between 2012 and 2025, 444 women and 76 babies at Nottingham University Hospitals were harmed in ways that might have been avoided.
- The review was led by Donna Ockenden, a maternity safety expert, who investigated care at two Nottingham hospitals.
- Problems included poor monitoring of babies during labor, misreading health signals, delays in scans, and failure to act quickly on concerns.
- 27 mothers died between 2006 and 2024, with care failures possibly playing a role in six deaths.
- Families and staff described a culture of bullying and toxic behavior that made improvement difficult.
- The government is considering a public inquiry into maternity care across the NHS, but not all families agree on this.
- The review gathered evidence from over 2,500 families and 800 staff members connected to the hospitals.
- Health Secretary James Murray called the findings "horrific" and said the NHS failed these families catastrophically.
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