Why is the UK mired in a maternity and neonatal deaths scandal?

Published 3 July 2026 · health

An inquiry into maternity care in Nottingham found that more than 500 mothers and babies either came to harm or died due to poor care

An inquiry into maternity care in Nottingham found that more than 500 mothers and babies either came to harm or died due to poor care. Two new inquiries have found that substandard care in at least two hospital trusts contributed to a rise in maternal and neonatal deaths in England, UK. An inquiry into maternity care in Nottingham found that more than 500 mothers and babies either came to harm or died due to poor care. The report released last week, which was led by childbirth expert and midwife Donna Ockenden, found that in Queen’s Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital, “multiple” women had experienced “bullying” and poor or “cruel” care as understaffing issues persisted. Moreover, it found that 444 women and 76 newborn babies suffered “potentially avoidable” outcomes due to poor care over 13 years at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUH). A similar review, the Amos report, named after Baroness Valerie Amos, into the British healthcare system’s maternity services also found similar outcomes: women and babies being failed as hospitals ignored patient needs. According to research published in January by Oxford University, the UK maternal mortality rate for 2022-2024 was 12.8 deaths per 100,000 maternities. That was 20 percent higher than 2009-2011, “meaning the UK government has missed its ambition to halve maternal mortality”, the Oxford report concluded. Here’s what we know about the maternity scandal in British hospitals. What did the inquiries into UK maternal and neonatal deaths reveal? The Ockenden report, which undertook a three-year inquiry into the deaths of 27 mothers in the Nottingham area between 2006 and 2024, found “failures in care that may have or substantially impacted on the outcome in six deaths”. In one particularly shocking case, the inquiry found that a baby who died early in gestation was “inadvertently disposed of as clinical waste by laboratory staff after her post-mortem examination”, causing huge distress to her parents. Overall, the report found failures in the following key areas Listening to women and families and acting promptly on concerns. Continuity of care, particularly for those with additional social or medical complexities.

Robust clinical governance to ensure timely information-sharing across organisations. Prompt access to imaging for women with concerning neurological symptoms. The inquiry also found that deaths of newborns would most likely have been prevented if they had been handled with proper care in hospitals. It highlighted a “bullying and toxic culture” which persisted at NUH, as well as senior managers failing to act when repeatedly warned about specific problems. Mothers in labour were routinely turned away from the two maternity units and told to return home – often when they should not have been – the inquiry noted. It found that both maternity units were short-staffed and not equipped to manage the number of births and complex cases they had. Ockenden also found that “when complaints were made, the trust’s instinct was to cover up rather than investigate failings”. It was noted that several clinicians refused to respond to questions from the inquiry. The Nottingham Maternity Families group, which represents 600 harmed and bereaved families, said that was “appalling” and called for the sacking of senior managers who declined to give evidence. The group called on the government to launch a statutory public inquiry into maternity failings across England as a whole. Following publication of the Ockenden report, Kath Abrahams, chief executive of the baby loss charity, Tommy’s, said: “This is a truly harrowing report. It is utterly inexcusable that pregnant women seeking help at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust were in some cases treated so poorly – sometimes with devastating consequences – and that healthcare professionals and families who did as much as they could to flag the risks were ignored. Both the Ockenden and Amos reports found similar reasons for the rise in deaths in the UK, all of which pointed to failings within the NHS and in maternal and clinical care. Amos’s review also points to racism and discrimination as being “embedded throughout the system”. According to the report, women and families who were interviewed said they received unfair or unequal treatment, were subjected to stereotypes, racial slurs, Islamophobia and antisemitism. Staff at the hospital also shared similar sentiments about being subjected to racism while performing their jobs.