A scandal-hit NHS trust is being investigated for potential offences of corporate manslaughter following deaths and serious injuries related to maternity care.
Nottinghamshire Police launched a criminal investigation in September 2023 after concerns were raised about severe harm allegedly linked to maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Detective Superintendent Matthew Croome said: “I have now formally commenced the investigation into corporate manslaughter relating to the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
“The offences relates to circumstances where an organisation has been grossly negligent in the management of its activities, which has then led to a person’s death.
“In such an investigation, we are looking to see if the overall responsibility lies with the organisation rather than specific individuals, and my investigation will look to ascertain if there is evidence that the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has committed this offence.”
In 2020, an exposé by The Independent found evidence of repeated poor care, spanning a decade, at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, with parents forced to fight to discover the truth about what happened to their children.
The investigation, with Channel 4, found 46 cases of babies who had been left with permanent brain damage, 19 still-births and 15 deaths.
A major review was commissioned in July 2020, but was soon superseded by an independent review, which is being led by former senior midwife Donna Ockenden.
The review includes around 2,000 experiences of maternity care at the trust, including deaths and injuries.
‘One piece of the jigsaw’
The parents of a baby who was stillborn under the care of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust have said the corporate manslaughter investigation “is just one piece of the jigsaw towards accountability”.
Dr Jack and Sarah Hawkins, who both used to work for the trust until their daughter Harriet died in 2016, said: “Our lives were completely destroyed by the unimaginable and repeated trauma at the hands of NUH.
“This investigation is just one piece of the jigsaw towards accountability.
“A prosecution for corporate manslaughter will only penalise the trust, not the individuals responsible.
“We must never lose sight of individual accountability for those who so cruelly stole not just our daughter’s life and voice but many others.
“We will continue to fight for justice, not only for Harriet, but for all those whose lives have shattered.”
