NHS Maternity Inquiry Chair Meets Leeds Families as Fresh Review Begins
Published on 07/18/2026 at 10:57 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
The chair of the NHS maternity investigations, Donna Ockenden, is meeting with bereaved families in Leeds this week as scrutiny of hospital care widens beyond the landmark Nottingham inquiry. The meeting at the Park Plaza Hotel on July 18 comes after the conclusion of the largest maternity review in NHS history and signals the start of a formal investigation into Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
New Inquiry Targets Preventable Deaths in Leeds
The Leeds investigation follows a BBC probe suggesting that the deaths of at least 56 babies and two mothers over the last five years may have been preventable. Families involved have described a workplace culture focused on meeting administrative targets rather than prioritising patient safety.
The review will examine local cases including the death of Aliona Grace in January 2020 and the stillbirth of a girl named Asees in January 2024. The latter case has raised concerns about whether ethnicity affected the quality of care provided.
Nottingham Inquiry Revealed Widespread Systemic Failures
The Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust investigation, which concluded in June 2026, examined approximately 2,500 cases involving 800 staff members. The findings confirmed more than 500 cases of harm or death, revealing systemic failures across Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen’s Medical Centre.
A separate inspection by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) in March 2026 uncovered severe failings in the trust's mortuary services. Inspectors found eight bodies in an advanced state of deterioration caused by a shortage of freezer space and delays in transferring remains to appropriate storage.
Families Suffered Additional Trauma After Loss
The Ockenden review documented multiple instances where families experienced further distress following the death of a child. In one case, mother Natalie Needham received a disc in February 2020 containing post-mortem photographs of her son, who had died in 2019, along with an itemised bill that included a charge for the nurse who informed her of the death.
Other documented failings included:
- A baby kept in the mortuary for 772 days before being moved to a freezer
- The release of the wrong remains to a funeral director
- A baby buried as the wrong gender after staff misinformed the parents
- Remains of a stillborn baby left in a refrigerator for four days, causing decomposition that required the body to be thawed before the funeral
- Cases where babies were disposed of as clinical waste or placed in storage alongside deceased adults
Anthony May, Chief Executive of the Nottingham trust, issued a formal apology. The trust has since submitted an action plan to address the deficiencies identified by the HTA.
Police and Professional Regulators Take Action
The failures at Nottingham have triggered significant legal and professional scrutiny. Operation Perth, a police investigation launched in June 2025, has led to the arrest of two men on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to the mortuary service.
Professional regulatory bodies are also conducting their own reviews. The Nursing and Midwifery Council is currently examining 96 fitness-to-practise cases, while the General Medical Council is reviewing 62 cases linked to the Nottingham findings.
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