FAMILIES affected by maternity failings at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust have called for justice ahead of the publication of a major review into the trust.
Sarah and Jack Hawkins, whose daughter Harriet was stillborn in 2016, were among the first families to raise concerns about care at the trust. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Sarah said it was “absolutely soul-destroying” to know that harm and deaths affecting families in Nottinghamshire were potentially preventable.
The review, led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden, is due to be published on Wednesday. It is the largest maternity review in NHS history and is expected to detail widespread failings linked to baby deaths and avoidable harm.
About 2,500 families and more than 800 staff contributed to the review, which began in September 2022 and covers care at Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen’s Medical Centre between April 2012 and May 2025.
Nottinghamshire Police launched a manslaughter investigation into the trust in June 2025 as part of Operation Perth. On Monday, police confirmed the first two arrests linked to the wider investigation.
Two men, aged 55 and 59, were arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office in connection with “operating practices in the mortuary service” and have been released on bail with “strict conditions”.
An external review into Harriet’s death found it was “almost certainly preventable”. The Hawkinses later settled their legal case against the trust for £2.8 million. Other families, including Gary and Sarah Andrews, whose daughter Wynter died in 2019, have also called for accountability. Regulators, including the GMC and NMC, are investigating staff cases linked to maternity care at the trust.
