Scope of review into Nottingham maternity failings expanded

Donna Ockenden is leading the inquiry into maternity services in Nottingham

The scope of an investigation into maternity failings at Nottingham's hospitals has been expanded.

Senior midwife Donna Ockenden is examining how hundreds of babies died or were injured in the care of Nottingham University Hospitals Trust.

She said the inquiry, the largest in NHS history, would now take a detailed look into antenatal care at the city's two maternity units.

Ms Ockenden urged families to share their experiences.

The independent investigation has so far been exploring stillbirths, neonatal deaths, injured babies and mothers and maternal deaths dating back to April 2012.

The review is looking into cases at NUH, which runs City Hospital and the Queen's Medical Centre

It will now also cover antenatal care, which includes all contact mothers have with maternity services until their children are born.

Ms Ockenden said: "We're asking women from across Nottinghamshire who have had their care at either the Queen's [Medical Centre] or City Hospital to contact us and tell us about their antenatal experience.

"By antenatal I mean all of the care they may have received during the time leading up to the birth of their baby - from first contact with maternity services until they go into labour.

"That can involve appointments, tests, scanning, screening.

"We're likely to hear an awful lot of good practice, but if anyone has got any concerns or questions we feel now is the right time to look in depth into antenatal care."

The inquiry, which began in September 2022, has been reviewing the cases of almost 2,000 families, and will look to establish the extent of avoidable harm that happened.

Examples of racist and discriminatory behaviour have already been uncovered in the review on "countless occasions".

NUH chief executive Anthony May urged people to contact the review team

Ms Ockenden said she expected her final report to be published in September 2025.

It comes as the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Birth Trauma called for an overhaul of the UK's maternity and postnatal care after finding poor care was "all-too-frequently tolerated as normal".

Ms Ockenden, who gave evidence to the APPG inquiry, said: "I listened to some of the accounts from across the country and they were harrowing in the extreme.

"Quite frankly, we can't keep having report after report with warm words saying things are going to get better, we have to do better."

The Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) Trust said it "continues to engage positively" with Ms Ockenden's review.

Anthony May, trust chief executive, added: "Donna and her team are encouraging more women and families to tell them about the antenatal care they have received at our hospitals.

"This is an important aspect of our maternity services and I support Donna's desire to hear from women and families who have experience of these services."

Families are encouraged to contribute to the inquiry by emailing [e-mail].