'Serious incidents' at Nottingham maternity units to be investigated

A child "born in poor condition" following a forceps delivery is one of five serious incidents the trust declared in June

Five "serious incidents" that occurred at a hospital trust's maternity units are to be investigated.

Independent investigators will look into the incidents, including an infant "born in poor condition", at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust.

It follows plans for a wider review of the trust's maternity units after a report found dozens of babies had died or been injured.

The trust said offering the best care was a "top priority".

It comes after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated the maternity services "inadequate" in May.

An investigation by Channel 4 News and the Independent also revealed in July the trust had paid out more than £91m in damages and costs.

Through a freedom of information probe, BBC News learned there have been 34 maternity investigations following adverse incidents at NUH since 2018.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust runs Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen's Medical Centre

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said trust board papers showed that in June, five serious incidents - one of which occurred in 2019 - were declared.

Among them was the birth of an infant "born in poor condition" following a forceps delivery, and a mother who experienced a post-partum haemorrhage.

Two of the incidents will be investigated by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB).

Another two will be looked at by the Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS), and one will be probed by NUH themselves.

In total, NUH said 16 maternity-related serious incidents were declared over two months, six of which were historic cases.

Serious incidents are now being declared retrospectively to ensure they have been categorised in the right way.

The Department of Health and Social Care previously confirmed NHS England and the Nottingham clinical commissioning group were "finalising the terms of reference for an independent review", which would go back to 2016.

Michelle Rhodes, chief nurse at NUH, said: "Offering the best care to women and families is a top priority and our maternity teams are working incredibly hard to make the necessary improvements to our services.

"We are determined to continue progressing this work as efficiently and effectively as possible."