Home / Health / NHS Maternity Scandal: Inquiry Uncovers Decades of Failings
NHS Maternity Scandal: Inquiry Uncovers Decades of Failings
22 Jun
Summary
- Largest NHS inquiry ever, probing hundreds of baby deaths and injuries.
- Over £100m paid out for failings at Nottingham hospitals since 2006.
- Two major inquiries ongoing: independent Ockenden review and police investigation.
Nottingham's two main NHS hospitals are the site of the largest inquiry of its kind in NHS history, investigating hundreds of baby deaths and injuries. The Ockenden review, which began in September 2022, is examining care provided by Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust.
Families have been raising alarms since at least 2016, following the death of Harriet Hawkins. Subsequent inquests, including for baby Wynter Andrews in 2019, highlighted significant concerns, with one assistant coroner citing "clear and obvious neglect."
By December 2020, the trust's maternity services were rated "inadequate" by the CQC due to staff training issues and a lack of monitoring. This prompted calls for a fully independent inquiry, leading to Donna Ockenden's appointment in July 2022.
As of May 2024, the review's scope expanded to include antenatal care. Nottinghamshire Police launched Operation Perth in September 2023, a criminal investigation running alongside the independent review.
By February 2024, the NHS had paid out over £101 million in compensation and legal fees for failings between 2006 and 2023. This includes substantial sums for cerebral palsy and stillbirth cases.
In parallel, a national "rapid" inquiry into maternity services across 12 NHS trusts, headed by Baroness Amos, was announced in June 2025. Both the Ockenden and Amos reviews are scheduled to publish findings in June 2026, a period expected to be emotionally intense for affected families.
