A report commissioned by the government has uncovered the biggest childbirth scandal in NHS history, revealing that 520 mothers and babies in Nottingham suffered harm or died due to substandard care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust (NUH).
The report, led by Donna Ockenden, a respected maternity safety expert, found that 444 women and 76 newborn babies suffered 'potentially avoidable' harm or death between 2012 and 2025. It also identified failures in care that may have contributed to the deaths of six mothers and 31 newborn babies.
Health Secretary James Murray described the failings as 'horrific' and 'chilling', stating that families suffered 'dangerously and tragically deficient care at almost every turn' and that the NHS 'failed them catastrophically'.
The report highlighted a range of recurring failings in clinical care, including repeated failures to monitor babies properly during labour, misinterpretation of CTG trace-reading of the baby's health while still in utero, and midwives not escalating worrying cases urgently to doctors.
The Nottingham Maternity Families group, which represents about 600 harmed and bereaved families, has requested a statutory public inquiry to investigate failings in maternity and neonatal care across the entire NHS.