Nottingham is not unique – change is necessary throughout maternity, says the Birth Trauma Association
24 June 2026
The Birth Trauma Association, the leading UK charity for supporting parents affected by traumatic birth experiences, has welcomed the recommendations of the Ockenden report into failings at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust.
The review, which began in 2022 and has heard from 2,511 families, covers the period 2012 to 2025. It found, shockingly, that 156 babies and six mothers who died would have survived if given appropriate care.
Ockenden also identified a number of failings in the trust. She found that the voices of women, particularly the most vulnerable, were systematically dismissed in maternity, and that women who raised concerns about their babies’ lack of movement or restricted growth were often mocked or labelled as anxious. Bereaved parents were left on wards with parents who had living babies. Some parents were subjected to racism, and interpretation facilities were often inadequate. Ockenden found that failings were covered up, and that when serious incidents occurred, they were downgraded.
She also identified problems with understaffing in the trust, along with a culture of bullying, in which staff were frightened to raise concerns. This was compounded by a failure in regulation. In her words, the professional regulators had a “long-term role to play in the harm caused to these families.”
Ockenden’s review lists a number of ‘immediate and essential actions’ to improve maternity care, not just in Nottingham but throughout England. We are pleased that she prioritises the requirement to listen to women and act appropriately on their concerns, and to make sure that parents are involved in decision-making. Other actions, such as improvements to staff training and trust governance and the development of a compassionate, psychologically safe culture, are extremely welcome.
Kim Thomas, CEO of the Birth Trauma Association, said: “Donna Ockenden’s report makes for a shocking read. She and her team have uncovered multiple instances of poor and negligent care, in a culture where women’s needs and wishes were disregarded, and their concerns not listened to. When complaints were made, the trust’s instinct was to cover up, rather than investigate, failings.
“Sadly, we believe that Nottingham is not unique. Investigations into maternity care at Morecambe Bay, Shrewsbury and Telford and East Kent, have come up with similar findings. Two more reviews, into Sussex and Leeds, both also led by Donna Ockenden, will start soon. But as a charity we hear similar stories from hospitals throughout the country.
“Unfortunately, as Ockenden noted in her report, regulators failed to identify and tackle the problems in Nottingham. This is a pattern we see repeated elsewhere: all too often, it is parents, not regulators, who sound the alarm. We are grateful to the courageous Nottingham families for their determination to see justice, but it should never have been left to them. We believe that we now need an overhaul of the systems for regulating maternity.
“We strongly welcome Ockenden’s recommendations that trusts listen to women, and consult women fully about their care, as well as her recommendations to improve staffing levels, address training deficits and strengthen governance.
“We have, however, been here before. Successive reviews have identified similar failings in maternity and made similar recommendations – yet maternity services continue to fail women and babies. We cannot wait any longer for change to happen. We urge the health secretary James Murray to act on these recommendations and to make sure they are implemented in every trust in the country.”
Further information
For more information, contact Dr Kim Thomas at kim@birthtraumaassociation.org or 07779 275032.
The Birth Trauma Association, founded in 2004, is a charity supporting parents experiencing psychological trauma symptoms after birth. You can find our website at www.birthtraumaassociation.org.
Follow us on X at @BirthTrauma, on Facebook at Birth Trauma Association – UK and on Instagram at birth_trauma_association_uk
