Nottingham maternity review sees 387 families come forward

The number of families who have come forward as part of a review into failing maternity units in Nottingham has more than quadrupled in two weeks.

An independent probe into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is under way.

It comes after an investigation found dozens of babies died or were left with serious injuries.

The review team said the number of families taking part had increased from 84 on 9 March to 387 on 22 March.

The local clinical commissioning group (CCG) and NHS England is leading the review, which was announced last year.

The update on Friday comes after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) confirmed this week it had revisited the trust's maternity units.

It previously rated them inadequate, citing numerous issues with low staffing, training and care.

Jack and Sarah Hawkins, whose baby Harriet was stillborn at Nottingham City Hospital in 2016, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service they were "disturbed" the families had not been found sooner.

They said: "We aren't surprised by the numbers, but we are disturbed that these families were not found earlier.

"Looking at what has happened elsewhere and the size of maternity service in Nottingham, there will be thousands of families.

"Some families will not be aware of the review or will be too traumatised to come forward. They need a safe and supportive environment to do that."

The review team said the increase in families coming forward was "directly linked to social media advertising which encouraged families who wish to share their experience of maternity services to contact us through our website".

The team added they were also targeting under-represented groups by contacting faith leaders and attending antenatal clinics.

The review will cover information dating back to 2006, and is expected to be complete on 30 November 2022.

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