Derby and Burton maternity cases independently reviewed

The cases relate to "maternity incidents", which does not always mean a death has occurred

An independent review is being carried out into seven maternity cases involving a trust which runs hospitals in Derby and Burton.

The BBC understands that some of the cases, but not all of them, involve women who died.

The patients were all under the care of University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust.

The trust itself asked for the review, which will be carried out by the Health Service Investigation Branch (HSIB).

Dr James Crampton, the trust's interim medical director, said: "These seven cases have already been individually investigated, but allowing an independent team to now review them collectively will give us and the families involved assurance that we have identified all possible learning, and this is an opportunity that we welcome.

"We are an open and learning-focused organisation and will continue to work with the review team to ensure the families are supported throughout the process."

The trust runs Royal Derby Hospital (pictured) and Queen's Hospital Burton

The review is being carried out in December. A report is expected to be published in January, once the review has been completed.

The hospital trust has not given details of the cases, but has said they relate to "maternity incidents", which does not always mean a death has occurred.