BBC Exposes Failures in Nottingham Maternity Unit as 2,500 Families Await NHS Inquiry
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 1
BBC Exposes Failures in Nottingham Maternity Unit as 2,500 Families Await NHS Inquiry
1 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 1
Previously unseen documents and interviews with 10 former midwives depict a toxic culture at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, including staff using the offensive acronym “FOH” to send pregnant women home.
A 2018 resignation letter and testimony from more than 50 staff linked poor care to chronic understaffing, bullying and management inaction, with the trust even miscounting available midwives by including those off sick or on leave.
Donna Ockenden’s inquiry is examining care given to about 2,500 families between 2012 and 2025, including stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths and injuries to babies and mothers.
Panorama also reported the trust used an internal “high level incidents” category that could keep serious maternal harm cases from regulators, reducing external scrutiny.
The final Ockenden report is due on 24 June; current chief executive Anthony May said the trust must take accountability, while NHS England and the government pointed to national safety reforms, 2,000 more midwives and £149 million in investment.
Will Nottingham hospital leaders face criminal charges for the largest maternity scandal in NHS history?
Is Nottingham's 'toxic' maternity culture a symptom of a much wider crisis across the NHS?
2,500 Cases, Two Decades: The Nottingham Maternity Scandal and the National Crisis in NHS Safety, Culture, and Accountability
Overview
The ongoing investigation into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, led by Donna Ockenden, is uncovering deep-rooted problems that caused significant patient harm between 2006 and 2025. This review follows earlier findings at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust, where hundreds of babies died or suffered brain damage, highlighting a national crisis in maternity care. The report reveals that long-standing issues like poor culture, chronic understaffing, and ignored patient concerns have led to tragic outcomes. These failures, combined with inaction from previous governments, have made conditions in maternity wards increasingly difficult and contributed to a rise in birth trauma reports across England.