Donna Ockenden Report 2026: Maternity Care Concerns at Nottingham University Hospitals

Claire Levene
Solicitor

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By Claire Levene

Solicitor | Medical Negligence

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The Donna Ockenden Investigation into / ITV News Report regarding Maternity Care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

As we have blogged before, Donna Ockenden, a senior midwife, was appointed to lead the investigation into maternity care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. The report into this investigation is due to be published on 24 June 2026.

As part of her investigation, Ms Ockenden is looking at the care provided to around 2,500 families between 2012 and 2025 with a particular focus upon stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths, and injured babies and mothers. She has spoken with many patients and their families regarding their experiences of maternity care at the Trust, including one of our clients.

It has already been reported in the press that the report is expected to identify clear themes of concern including:

1. Long-term chronic understaffing of clinical midwives, leading to staff being spread too thinly;
2. Racist behaviour involving staff mimicking accents and non-white women being treated more dismissively;
3. A lack of candour when things have gone wrong;
4. Parents having to “battle” for their concerns to be taken seriously when things have gone wrong.

Phoenix Solicitors’ Director, Alisha Butler, and our client have been interviewed by ITV News in advance of the publication of Ms Ockenden’s report. These interviews will be airing on ITV News on 24 June 2026.

Patient and Foetal Monitoring

A common feature in cases involving substandard maternity care is a failure to carry out adequate monitoring.

The exact level of monitoring depends on the circumstances in question, but when we review cases, we particularly check to see that regular maternal observations were carried out, that there is ongoing assessment of fetal wellbeing, that new symptoms or concerns raised by the mother are noted and properly considered, and that midwives escalate matters and call for obstetric advice/assistance if there are changes in the mother’s condition or concerns about the baby.

Where a woman is known to be high risk and reports a significant event such as a sudden movement or sensation and is concerned that something is wrong, this should trigger further assessment and, if appropriate, escalation.

Whilst maternity units are often busy and there may be other emergencies occurring on the unit, this does not remove the Trust’s duty to monitor patients who are waiting.

Racial Bias & Discriminatory Treatment

Very few healthcare professionals will openly admit discriminatory attitudes, so direct evidence of racial bias and discrimination can be hard to find.

Instead, as lawyers we frequently have to look at:

• Patterns of behaviour,
• Witness evidence,
• Repeated failures to respond to concerns,
• Differences in treatment,
• Internal complaints,
• Staff witness evidence,
• Wider organisational findings.

Where an independent review, such as Donna Ockenden’s review of maternity care in Nottingham, identifies recurring themes of women from minority ethnic backgrounds not being listened to, experiencing dismissive attitudes, or receiving poorer communication, those findings provide important context. However, each individual case still requires evidence showing how those issues affected the care provided to that particular woman/family.

The legal test remains focused on what happened to the patient and whether that caused harm.

Any allegation that records were inaccurate or subsequently corrected requires careful scrutiny.

Accurate record keeping is a fundamental professional obligation. Where there are disputes about what happened, contemporaneous records often become central evidence in litigation.

What Should Families Do If They Have Concerns Regarding Treatment?

Parents know their child better than anyone else, and mothers often recognise when something is wrong long before a clinical diagnosis is made.

If concerns are not being addressed:

• Keep raising them.,
• Ask for a senior/consultant review,
• Keep a written record of concerns and responses,
• Where appropriate, take photographs,
• Request copies of medical records,
• Use the hospital’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS),
• Make a formal complaint, if necessary.

If a mother or child has suffered a serious injury or there has been a death, we always recommend that families seek independent legal advice as early as possible.

Perhaps the most important lesson from the major maternity investigations around the country is that families repeatedly identified concerns before clinicians did. Listening to patients and parents is not an optional extra in healthcare—it is a fundamental patient safety issue.

We represent individuals affected by maternity care at Nottingham and other Trusts across England. If you or a loved one believe you may have suffered harm as a result of substandard maternity care, our specialist legal team can advise you on your options and whether you may be entitled to compensation.

Call us to discuss making a claim on a no win, no fee basis, email us at ab@phoenixlegalsolicitors.co.uk, or submit one of our contact forms to receive a free callback.