What's happened
A major NHS maternity review has found hundreds of mothers and babies suffered potentially avoidable harm due to deeply embedded failures at Nottingham University Hospitals. Officials face renewed calls for accountability as MPs consider Hillsborough Law measures.
What's behind the headline?
Key questions
- What is changing now? The government is considering stronger accountability measures, including Hillsborough Law provisions, to compel participation in inquiries.
- Who is affected? Families who suffered harm, NHS staff, and NHS governance bodies.
- What’s at stake? Trust accountability, patient safety culture, and legislative responses.
Why it matters
The findings point to structural flaws in how maternity care is overseen, demanding faster reforms and clearer duties of candour.
What to watch
Legislation activity, parliamentary inquiries, and potential national maternity oversight developments in the coming weeks.
How we got here
Donna Ockenden’s rapid review into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust found serious issues in maternity care dating back years. It shows hundreds affected by avoidable harm and a culture of silence among some senior staff who refused to participate.
Our analysis
BBC News reports detail Donna Ockenden’s findings and the subsequent political push for accountability. The Independent provides additional context on the government’s response and the NHS leadership’s stance. All quotes are attributed to the publishers as cited.
Go deeper
- What specific changes will the Hillsborough Law introduce for NHS investigations?
- How are families seeking accountability following the findings?
- When will parliamentary action be taken on these proposals?
More on these topics
-
Donna Ockenden - British midwife and activist
Donna Ockenden is a British midwife, businesswoman and community activist. As a senior midwife, she was commissioned in 2016 by the UK Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, to chair an independent review into maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital
-
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust - Hospital in England
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is one of England's largest acute teaching trusts. It was established on 1 April 2006 following the merger of Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen's Medical Centre NHS Trusts.
-
Layla Moran - Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom
Layla Michelle Moran is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon since 2017.
-
Nottingham City Hospital - Hospital in England
Nottingham City Hospital is a large hospital located in Nottingham, England. It occupies a large 90-acre (360,000 m2) site on the ring road to the North of the city centre. It is composed of many buildings, most of which are joined by long corridors. Buildings include a leisure club, a Maggies Centre for people with cancer, and a patient hotel. It is managed by the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
-
Anthony May - British actor
Anthony May (23 May 1946 – 24 December 2021) was an English stage, television and film actor. He trained at R.A.D.A. from 1965 to 1967.
-
National Health Service - Publicly-funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom
The National Health Service (NHS) is the collective term for the four separate publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service in England, NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland, which were created separately, and are often referred to collectively or individually as "the NHS". The three original systems for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were established in 1948 – with a Welsh system later founded in 1969 – as part of major social reforms following the Second World War, and officially launched at Park Hospital in Davyhulme, near Manchester, England (now known as Trafford General Hospital). The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery. Each system provides a comprehensive range of health services, provided without charge for residents of the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care, though NHS patients in England who are not exempt have to pay prescription charges. Taken together, the four systems in 2015–16 employed around 1.6 million people with a combined budget of £136.7 billion. In 2024, the total health...
-
Nottingham - City in England
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, England. Part of the East Midlands region, it is 128 miles north of London and 45 miles northeast of Birmingham. To the west lies Derby, separated by the M1 motorway.