The Guardian recently covered the Ockenden enquiry, a review of almost 2,000 maternity cases at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. 

The Nottingham maternity review was launched in September 2022 after a campaign by affected families. It followed Ockenden's investigation into the substandard maternity care at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust in Shropshire. In Shrewsbury, 300 babies were found to have been harmed as a result of inadequate care by the trust. Ockenden has now returned to Shrewsbury to answer complaints from the affected families.

The article focuses on findings of discriminatory and racist behaviour, noted by both staff and families in the maternity unit at Nottingham. Ockenden has reported on situations where expectant mothers were denied interpreters and may have been unable to give informed consent to complex medical procedures as a result of this.

Claims for clinical negligence can go some way towards helping families come to terms with the outcome of the failings of the NHS, but much more needs to be done to address the causes identified in the Ockenden reviews.

If you have been affected by a similar situation or for further information, please contact me.