health
'Truly horrific': the stories of five people affected by the NHS maternity scandal
Some see publication of the Nottingham report as a landmark moment, others as bittersweet and traumatic
TL;DR
- The Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust maternity failures report, investigating about 2,500 families, will be published soon.
- The inquiry, led by Donna Ockenden, covers stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths, and brain damage between 2012 and 2025.
- Families share personal accounts of preventable deaths and severe injuries, including Wynter Andrews (hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy), Felicity Benyon (accidental bladder removal), Caitlin Stringer (necrotising enterocolitis and brain injury), Quinn Parker (brain damage after birth), and Harriet Hawkins (stillbirth).
- Parents recount experiences of being ignored, care failures, and a perceived lack of accountability, with some inquests ruling cases as neglect.
- The report is seen by families as a crucial, albeit traumatic, step towards ensuring such failures are not repeated, with some noting that similar issues persist in other NHS trusts.
- NUH chief executive Anthony May apologized for the pain and suffering endured by families and committed to learning from the review's findings.