NHS maternity review to expose years of failings linked to baby deaths
Related: Streeting launches investigation into maternity services after families ‘gaslit’
The largest maternity review in NHS history, led by Donna Ockenden, is expected to reveal extensive failings at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust, which led to the deaths of multiple babies and avoidable harm to families.
Triggered by a 2020 expose by The Independent, the government-ordered inquiry has gathered experiences from approximately 2,500 families and over 800 staff members.
Nottinghamshire Police launched a corporate manslaughter case in 2025 as part of a wider criminal investigation into NUH’s maternity failings, and recently arrested two men in connection with mortuary service operating practices.
Regulatory bodies, including the General Medical Council (GMC) and Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), are investigating numerous allegations against individual staff members from NUH.
Families, such as Jack and Sarah Hawkins and Gary and Sarah Andrews, who lost their babies due to NUH’s failings, are calling for a statutory public inquiry into poor maternity care, following previous compensation payouts and fines against the trust.
