Babies and mothers died after 'systemic and sustained' failings, largest NHS maternity review finds

Image source, Jacob King/PA Wire Image caption, Sarah Andrews (left) and Sarah Hawkins (right) both lost their daughters due to maternity failings By Laura Hammond  and  George Torr , East Midlands Published 49 minutes ago More than 500 mothers and babies suffered avoidable harm or died due to failings at a "toxic" hospital trust, a landmark maternity review has found. Led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden, the inquiry - the largest of its kind in NHS history - found leaders at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust knew there were serious issues at its maternity department going back years, but failed to take action. When her review was published on Wednesday, it also revealed different care may have altered the outcome for 260 babies who died or were harmed. Ockenden said: "This is a report about how a system failed, and what it costs when it fails. It costs lives, futures and families, everything." More on the Nottingham maternity scandal 'From excitement to emptiness': Families affected by largest NHS maternity scandal tell their stories Published 2 hours ago Baby deaths and toxic culture - the Nottingham maternity report at a glance Published 5 hours ago The story behind the largest maternity review in the NHS Published 1 day ago 'Don't be too kind': Maternity staff used offensive terms to refer to pregnant women Published 1 June About 2,500 families and more than 800 members of staff contributed to the review, which started in 2022. But Ockenden said there were "gaps" in knowledge, because some senior leaders declined to engage with her review. The report said 66 former and current senior colleagues were approached by the chief executive of the trust, of which 37 came forward and 35 were interviewed. However, experts on the review concluded there were "potentially avoidable" outcomes relating to 444 maternity cases examined up to May 2025, alongside 76 neonatal cases. All of these 520 cases were graded as two or three for harm, with grade three representing "significant concerns" and grade three "major concerns" over care. Grade two represents sub-optimal care, in which different management might have made a difference to the outcome, grade three is where different management would reasonably be expected to have made a difference. The refusal of some management to engage in the review led to the government announcing that the scope of Martha's Rule would be extended in a bid to boost accountability and safety for mothers and babies. Other measures include ensuring NHS staff - past and present - who refuse to engage with upcoming maternity reviews are compelled to give evidence, or face up to two years in prison , although it is not yet clear how this will be enforced. Image source, Jacob King/PA Wire Image caption, Donna Ockenden presented the findings of her maternity review on Wednesday Ockenden unveiled the findings of her review at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Nottingham, in front of a number of bereaved and affected families. H