More than 100 Nottingham maternity cases being reviewed in criminal investigation

More than 100 maternity cases at scandal-hit Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) Trust are being reviewed by police.

Nottinghamshire Police announced a criminal investigation in September last year into concerns raised about severe harm allegedly linked to maternity services at the Trust.

The force said the number of referrals is expected to increase while it receives information from the largest ever NHS maternity review led by former senior midwife Donna Ockenden.

Ms Ockenden’s review now includes nearly 2,000 experiences of maternity care at NUH, including deaths and injuries, and a police spokesman said that they are asking her review team to provide information on all cases held.

Over two years since she launched her review into maternity care at Nottingham's hospitals, Ms Ockenden said she is still concerned over the care some women are receiving.

She said she heard reports of new mothers being shouted at by staff, and said some are being subjected to racism.

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Ms Ockenden said she was "disappointed" that new reports are coming in while she's carrying out her review.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin said: “Affected families remain at the heart of our investigation into maternity care provision at Nottingham University Hospitals.

“We are receiving information from Donna Ockenden’s review team and our approach is being underpinned by compassion, care and candour toward those affected.

“Currently more than 100 cases have been referred to us. I expect the number of referrals will further increase and all cases will be meticulously investigated by a team of skilled and professional investigators who are dedicated to this case.”

Tracy Pilcher, chief nurse at NUH, said: “We welcome Donna’s feedback and the opportunities it provides us to continue to improve our maternity services.

“We continue to remain focused on our maternity improvement programme and can see that there have been real improvements in our services.

“This includes improved staffing, with staff numbers increasing, recruiting into leadership roles and current staff staying with us for longer.

“That said, we know there is more to do, and we are committed to continuing with our drive for improvement.

“We are committed to both the Independent Review of maternity services and police investigation and will fully cooperate with their inquiries.”

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