NHS boss 'shocked and upset' by maternity findings

Image caption, Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust chief executive Anthony May said he came away from Wednesday with a "renewed commitment" to continuing improvement By Greig Watson East Midlands Published 34 minutes ago The chief executive of the NHS trust at the centre of the largest maternity review in NHS history has said he is "shocked and upset" by its damning findings. The review into Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust, published on Wednesday , said "deeply embedded systemic failures" led to hundreds of deaths and avoidable harm to babies and mothers. Chief executive Anthony May said he came away from the announcement with a "renewed commitment" to continuing to improve, including implementing all of the essential actions detailed in Donna Ockenden's report. But he admitted the trust had not always "met their aspirations" in terms of staff being held accountable for failings. More on the Nottingham maternity scandal Bodies found in 'advanced deterioration' at under-fire trust Published 1 hour ago MP to lead 'improvement board' after maternity failings Published 3 hours ago Babies and mothers died after 'systemic' failings Published 18 hours ago 'From excitement to emptiness': Families affected by largest NHS maternity scandal tell their stories Published 21 hours ago Martha's Rule to be extended to all maternity units Published 22 hours ago NHS report told of maternity problems before inquiry Published 16 June About 2,500 families and more than 800 staff members - past and present - contributed to the review, which began formally on 1 September 2022. The independent maternity review, led by senior midwife Ockenden, concluded there were "potentially avoidable" outcomes for mothers and babies in 520 cases. It also found different care may have altered the outcome for 260 babies - 155 who died and 105 who suffered serious brain injury due to substandard care - the review team told the BBC. The report also identified a "bullying and toxic" workplace culture , which prevented staff members from speaking up, and Ockenden added a small number of powerful leaders had "infected the unit". To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, Watch: Ockenden paid tribute to families at the press conference NUH was given a list of actions it must now take to address the failures found by the review team. May earlier called the review's publication a "watershed moment". Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Thursday, he said: "Anyone who's in the room yesterday, as I was, would have been shocked and upset and although Donna has kept us up to date with her findings as she has gone along, it was still shocking and upsetting. "I was also greatly affected, as I have been over the past four years, by the courage of the families who have told their experiences time and time again, because they want us to learn and do better and I came away with a renewed commitment to continue to impro