'Positive' meeting held over maternity failings

A group of families harmed by poor maternity care in Nottingham said their meeting with Health Secretary Wes Streeting was "incredibly positive".

The parents of babies who died and were injured due to failings at maternity units in the city said the health secretary had moved away from an initial plan he was setting out on how to improve care across the country.

Following the meeting in Nottingham on Thursday, the families said they felt they were listened to but stressed they "would not be going anywhere" without the confirmation of a full statutory public inquiry.

Streeting told the BBC he left the meeting with some "clear advice from families" about what he needs to do.

Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust is at the centre of the largest maternity review in the history of the NHS, led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden, which is looking into about 2,500 individual cases.

Streeting, who has already held two meetings in London this week with affected families from across the country, said he intended to announce his maternity safety plan in a speech next Monday.

The BBC understands the plan included an improvement taskforce led by non-NHS officials, a buddying system between poorly performing and better trusts, and a restorative justice approach where hospitals and families would meet and vow to be open and honest.

This was widely criticised by families but Streeting is said to have rowed back on the proposals in a two-and-a-half-hour meeting in a city centre hotel on Thursday.

Sarah Hawkins, whose daughter Harriet died in 2016 at Nottingham City Hospital, told the BBC: "The whole plan frankly was wrong.

"But Wes has listened to that and has come up here to listen to us again which is fantastic."

Ms Hawkins added the health secretary is "holding the door open" for a full statutory public inquiry but had not confirmed one.

"If Harriet stayed [with us], she would be nine now but the way I am her mother, is by doing this and I'm not going to give up until we get it," she said.

Sarah Sissons, whose son Ryan was born with brain damage 17 years ago because of poor maternity care, added: "[The meeting] was incredibly positive today, Wes is a human and treats us like humans and treats us like parents.

"As people who have been through this situation, that's quite rare."

The health secretary said: "I met again with families who have endured the most devastating experiences imaginable - heartbreak caused by failures in NHS maternity care that should never have happened.

"They shared deeply painful stories of being ignored, mistreated, and left to cope with trauma and loss, all within a system that was meant to protect and care for them.

"I heard about cover-ups, life-changing injuries, and a lack of basic compassion at the very moment when kindness and support were most needed.

"I want to say, from the bottom of my heart, how sorry I am for what they've been through - and how grateful I am for their courage in speaking out.

"I gave them my word that I will do everything in my power to ensure no woman, no family, ever has to suffer like this again.

"I've left Nottingham with some clear advice from families about what they need me to do and how I can work together with them to improve maternity safety and also deliver honesty and accountability for victims."

By Rob Sissons, health correspondent, BBC East Midlands

There have been growing calls for a national public inquiry into maternity services, and the likelihood is if one is not granted soon then the demands will get louder.

More harmed families are connecting online and in person. The concerns are not confined to Nottingham - there are other communities pressing for detailed investigations into what has happened at their local NHS hospitals.

There is likely to be considerable focus on the failings of maternity services in the aftermath of the publication of the report into Nottingham's maternity units - due in June 2026 - and national debate, reflections and soul-searching.

If a public inquiry hasn't been sanctioned by then it is difficult to imagine the calls will not intensify in its aftermath. It is already clear the Nottingham report is likely to be damming.

In recent years there have been more statutory public inquiries, including the infected blood inquiry and the Grenfell Tower.

The pushback arguments against setting them up are well rehearsed - that they can take time and can be costly.

Not surprisingly, harmed families dismiss those issues. Many have waited years for answers already, having had to fight to get the Nottingham review.

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