Two new inquiries have found that substandard care in at least two hospital trusts contributed to a rise in maternal and neonatal deaths in England, UK.An inquiry into maternity care in Nottingham found that more than 500 mothers and babies either came to harm or died due to poor care.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listThe report released last week, which was led by childbirth expert and midwife Donna Ockenden, found that in Queen’s Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital, “multiple” women had experienced “bullying” and poor or “cruel” care as understaffing issues persisted.Moreover, it found that 444 women and 76 newborn babies suffered “potentially avoidable” outcomes due to poor care over 13 years at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUH).A similar review, the Amos report, named after Baroness Valerie Amos, into the British healthcare system’s maternity services also found similar outcomes: women and babies being failed as hospitals ignored patient needs.According to research published in January by Oxford University, the UK maternal mortality rate for 2022-2024 was 12.8 deaths per 100,000 maternities.That was 20 percent higher than 2009-2011, “meaning the UK government has missed its ambition to halve maternal mortality”, the Oxford report concluded.Here’s what we know about the maternity scandal in British hospitals.What did the inquiries into UK maternal and neonatal deaths reveal?The Ockenden report, which undertook a three-year inquiry into the deaths of 27 …
