Summary

  • A review into maternity failings at an NHS trust finds more than 200 babies may have died due to repeated failures

  • The report, led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden, follows a five-year investigation of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust

  • Health Secretary Sajid Javid tells MPs that clinical details were kept on post-it notes that went into the bin with tragic consequences

  • The report found serious mistakes were repeated over decades and there was a failure to investigate and learn from infant deaths

  • A lack of transparency and honesty at the trust is highlighted and some staff described being frightened to speak to the review team

  • Kayleigh Griffiths, whose daughter Pippa died, says families had to fight all the way but have "finally been heard"

  • Rhiannon Davies, whose daughter Kate died, says the number of deaths "do not tell the whole story" of the impact on families

  • Trust chief executive Louise Barnett vows to make improvements and apologises for the pain and distress caused

Live Reporting

Andy Giddings, Jennifer Meierhans and Francesca Gillett

  1. Baby death numbers worse than imagined - Hunt

    Jeremy HuntEPA

    The ex health secretary who ordered this inquiry into baby deaths says the numbers who could have survived with better maternity care were "worse" than he imagined.

    Jeremy Hunt says the report into maternity care at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust will be "very, very shocking and sobering reading".

    He says the families who had campaigned had played "a really extraordinary role", but questioned why it had taken their efforts "rather than the NHS itself being really hungry to learn from mistakes".

    "We have to get rid of that blame culture and make it easy for people to speak openly and transparently when something goes wrong," Mr Hunt says.

    "Even in this inquiry, doctors, midwives, nurses at Shrewsbury and Telford said they were silenced, they were told that there would be professional consequences if they co-operated with the inquiry," he says.

  2. What do we know so far?

    Rhiannon Davies and her daughter KateRichard Stanton

    Rhiannon Davis (pictured with her daughter Kate) campaigned for years to get an independent review into maternity care in Shropshire

    Ahead of the release of the full report later, the BBC has learned 201 babies might have survived if they'd received better treatment from staff at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS trust.

    Significant or major concerns over the maternity care provided by the trust were found in 201 deaths - 131 stillbirths and 70 neonatal deaths.

    The vast majority of cases date from 2000 to 2019.

    Interim findings released in 2020 showed mothers were blamed for their babies' deaths and a large number of women died in labour.

    Deaths were often not investigated and an induction drug was repeatedly misused, the interim report said.

    It lists numerous traumatic birth experiences including the deaths of babies due to excessive force of forceps and stillbirths that could have been avoided.

  3. How did the inquiry come about?

    Kayleigh and Colin Griffiths

    Kayleigh and Colin Griffiths campaigned for an inquiry after the death of their daughter Pippa

    The review of maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust followed a campaign by two families who lost their baby daughters.

    Richard Stanton and Rhiannon Davies's daughter Kate died hours after her birth in March 2009, while Kayleigh and Colin Griffiths' daughter Pippa died in 2016 from a Group B Streptococcus infection.

    When the inquiry was announced, families who had concerns about maternity care were urged to come forward.

    In August 2018, the number of cases increased to 40 and by March 2019 had increased again to 250.

    In June of that year, a further 300 cases had been added and by July 2020 it was revealed the total number of cases had reached 1,862.

    Read more: The mothers who helped uncover the biggest NHS maternity scandal

  4. What is the Ockenden report?

    Donna OckendenOCKENDEN REVIEW

    Senior midwife Donna Ockenden was asked to lead the inquiry

    While we await the release of today's report let's look at what it is and how it came about.

    In April 2017, the government announced an investigation into a "cluster" of avoidable baby deaths at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which runs both the Royal Shrewsbury and Princess Royal hospitals.

    It was initially focused on 23 cases in which failings in maternity treatment were alleged.

    Senior midwife Donna Ockenden was appointed to lead the inquiry.

    It was later expanded to look at 1,862 cases and is thought to be the largest ever review of maternity care in the NHS.

    The vast majority of cases happened after 2000 but some date back more than 40 years.

  5. Good morning

    Welcome to our live coverage of a major report into baby deaths and maternity failings at a hospital trust.

    Some 201 babies died and dozens more sustained life-changing injuries at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust in Shropshire between 2000 and 2019, the report has found.

    At 10:00 BST we will bring you the full findings of the five-year inquiry which uncovered a raft of failures unprecedented in the history of NHS maternity care.

    The trust, which runs the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, has previously apologised and said it takes full responsibility.

    We will look in detail at what happened, hear reaction from the families affected and find out what changes will be made.

    If you are affected by any of today’s news, help is available through the BBC’s Action Line.