Hundreds of Nottingham babies and mothers died after 'systemic' failings

Babies and mothers died after 'systemic' failingsImage source, Jacob King/PA WireImage caption, Sarah Andrews (left) and Sarah Hawkins (right) both lost their daughters due to maternity failingsByLaura Hammond and George Torr, East MidlandsPublished25 minutes agoMore than 500 mothers and babies suffered avoidable harm or died due to failings at a "toxic" hospital trust, a landmark maternity review has found.Led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden, the inquiry - the largest of its kind in NHS history - found leaders at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust knew there were serious issues at its maternity department going back years, but failed to take action.When her review was published on Wednesday, it also revealed different care may have altered the outcome for 260 babies who died or were harmed.Ockenden said: "This is a report about how a system failed, and what it costs when it fails. It costs lives, futures and families, everything."More on the Nottingham maternity scandal'From excitement to emptiness': Families affected by largest NHS maternity scandal tell their storiesPublished1 hour agoBaby deaths and toxic culture - the Nottingham maternity report at a glancePublished4 hours agoThe story behind the largest maternity review in the NHSPublished1 day ago'Don't be too kind': Maternity staff used offensive terms to refer to pregnant womenPublished1 JuneAbout 2,500 families and more than 800 members of staff contributed to the review, which started in 2022.But Ockenden said there were "gaps" in knowledge, because some senior leaders declined to engage with her review.The report said 66 former and current senior colleagues were approached by the chief executive of the trust, of which 37 came forward and 35 were interviewed.However, experts on the review concluded there were "potentially avoidable" outcomes relating to 444 maternity cases examined up to May 2025, alongside 76 neonata...