The NHS could be facing its largest maternity scandal yet, with the review into services in Nottingham expected to exceed 1 500 cases, after a probe begun in 2021 exposed that dozens of babies had died or suffered serious injuries or brain damage as a result of care at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH). The NUH runs Nottingham’s City Hospital and Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC).
The investigation has more than doubled since then, with Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust sending at least 1 000 letters to families to contact the independent inquiry, after 700 families previously came forward with their concerns, reports The Independent.
Of these, the number of families expected to be covered by the probe is more than 1 500 – surpassing the 1 486 examined during the thus-far largest maternity scandal in Shrewsbury.
The timeframe of the Nottingham investigation is also shorter, covering incidents from 2012 onward compared with Shrewsbury, where cases spanned from 1973 to 2020, most of them occurring since the year 2000.
Families approached by the Nottingham trust include those who have suffered stillbirths, neonatal deaths from 24 weeks’ gestation up to 28 days of life, babies diagnosed with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy and another brain injury, maternal deaths up to 42 days’ post-part and severe maternal harm.
Bereaved parents who have previously spoken out claimed families were “ignored” by caregivers at the trust, and have long called for an independent inquiry.
When reporting on the scandal in 2021, The Independent revealed that in some instances, key medical notes were missing or never made, while others were completely inaccurate.
The NHS trust failed to properly investigate some deaths for months and, in cases when it did, details were wrong or reviews watered down by senior management to lessen the criticism.
A whistleblower previously claimed a “Teflon team” of managers allowed staffing shortages to build up to dangerous levels, while pleas from midwives were ignored and incidents “swept under the carpet”.
Millions of pounds have already been paid out by the trust for hundreds of clinical negligence claims.
The initial review launched last year was replaced after families complained, and is now being led by Donna Ockenden, who chaired the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SATH) maternity inquiry.
The SATH report, published in the spring, found 300 babies had died or become brain injured out of just more than 1 592 incidents across 1 486 families analysed by the review team.
The new review into Nottingham began in September and the final report will be published in March 2024.
The latest news comes after the publication of the inquiry into maternity failings in East Kent, which found poor care may have led to the deaths of 45 babies, with 97 cases of harm.
Sara Ledger, head of research and development at Baby Lifeline, said: “That so many families are coming forward for the Nottingham maternity review is significant, demonstrating how many lives are being affected by problems in our NHS maternity services, and how important these reviews are.
“There have now been many high-profile investigations into maternity safety within NHS Trusts up and down the country, which have, in turn, produced stringent recommendations and clarity around immediate and essential actions.
“The Independent Review into Maternity Services at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS, which is being led by Baby Lifeline honorary president Donna Ockenden, will contribute yet more evidence and recommendations to those made in the previous investigations.”
A spokeswoman for NUH said: “Alongside Donna Ockenden, we have written to more than 1 000 families identified as having maternity cases potentially relevant to the independent review of our maternity services (based on the five categories identified in the terms of reference). We are committed to making the necessary and sustainable improvements to our maternity services…”
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Final report on UK maternity scandal that led to 100s of brain-damaged or stillborn babies
Legal first in UK as NHS trust fined for baby’s death
Ockenden Report into ‘one of the biggest scandals in NHS history’
NHS pays out record amount in maternity negligence case
100s more cases emerge in UK’s baby deaths scandal