Streeting Urges MPs to Summon 31 NHS Staff Over Nottingham Maternity Inquiry Refusal
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 4
Streeting Urges MPs to Summon 31 NHS Staff Over Nottingham Maternity Inquiry Refusal
2 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 4
Summary
31 of 66 current and former senior Nottingham University Hospitals staff approached by Donna Ockenden were not interviewed, prompting Wes Streeting to ask MPs to compel them to explain their refusal before Parliament.
Streeting, who resigned as health secretary in May, told health committee chair Layla Moran that non-cooperation showed a "cover-up culture" and said contempt powers should be used if needed.
2,500 families and more than 800 staff contributed to the review, which found hundreds of mothers and babies suffered avoidable harm and said different care might have changed outcomes for 260 babies who died or were harmed.
Nottingham families broadly backed demands for accountability, but whistleblower Jack Hawkins warned select committee hearings must not disrupt an ongoing police investigation and renewed calls for a statutory public inquiry.
The government has already pledged new powers to force current and former NHS staff to cooperate with future maternity reviews, with refusal potentially carrying up to two years in prison.
Could a parliamentary hearing for NHS bosses jeopardize the police's manslaughter investigation?
With over £100 million paid in compensation, what will stop the next NHS maternity scandal?
162 Lives Lost: How Systemic Failures in Nottingham Maternity Care Exposed a National NHS Crisis
Overview
The publication of Donna Ockenden's final report in June 2026 brought immediate attention to accountability in the NHS, especially after it was revealed that some senior managers refused to participate in the review. This non-cooperation created gaps in the inquiry's findings and fueled outrage among affected families, who have long pushed the NHS to acknowledge its failures. The scandal exposed a pattern of leadership avoiding responsibility, forcing grieving families to demand transparency and justice. In response, the government introduced strict legal consequences for staff who refuse to cooperate, signaling a new era of accountability and a push for lasting change in NHS maternity care.