London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, May 25, 2025

UK inquiry into maternity deaths lacks input from Asian mothers, chair says

UK inquiry into maternity deaths lacks input from Asian mothers, chair says

A major inquiry into a UK maternity scandal that led to the deaths of, or serious injuries to, dozens of babies lacks representation from minority ethnic groups including Asians, its chair has said.
The review into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust came after The Independent revealed systematic poor care over a decade.

Donna Ockenden, a senior midwife and activist, is leading the inquiry, but has argued that the NHS must encourage more ethnic minority families, including Asians, to come forward with personal accounts of the scandal.

So far, more than 250 white British families have provided evidence, but fewer than 20 black or Asian families have done so, The Independent said.

Last week, a nationwide report into maternal and neonatal deaths found that the risk of maternal death was four times higher for black women compared to white, while for Asian women, it was two times higher.

Ockenden said: “As the review chair, (I believe) the current situation is wholly insufficient.

“These numbers are insufficient, both to say that we have listened to women’s voices and also insufficient for the learning that the trust has to do as regards their own population.”

In 2021, 14 percent of residents in Nottingham reported their ethnicity as Asian.

Ockenden warned that Asian women, including Urdu speakers, were among the most affected by the trust’s failings, warning of a “deterioration in communications” between the hospital and the Urdu-speaking community.

Some women reported to the inquiry that authorities “don’t hear me, or see me or my family.”

Hospital staff also raised concerns after Urdu language maternity appointments were cut from 30 to 20 minutes long in order to “free up more midwives.”

Ockenden said in a letter to the trust: “We will continue in our efforts to ensure all women and family voices are heard but you will appreciate our work is taking place against a very difficult background.

“I look forward to hearing from the Trust as to the next steps it will take to ensure the content of my letter contributes to the necessary improvement in the provision of maternity services in Nottingham.”

The chief nurse at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Michelle Rhodes, said: “We know more must be done to ensure the voices of women from all the communities we serve are heard, and we welcome feedback from Donna Ockenden and her team.”

A group of senior midwives, doctors, researchers and advocates, as well as ethnic minority staff and families, has been formed to tackle the issues raised by Ockenden, Rhodes said.

The scandal, initially covered by The Independent, was exposed through evidence that revealed 15 babies had died, while 46 were left with permanent brain damage, over the course of a decade at the hospital.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust was fined $1 million in January over the death of a baby 23 minutes after birth.

An inquiry found the baby had died from a loss of oxygen flow to the brain as a result of the incident in September 2019.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Global Events: Key Developments in Culture, Conflict, and Policy
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Any trade deal with US must be based on respect not threats', says EU commissioner
UK Leads in Remote Work Adoption, Averaging 1.8 Days a Week
Bruges Battles Overtourism as Visitors Steal Cobblestones and Historic Cities Struggle to Cope
Facial Recognition Technology Use in New Orleans Jail Escapees Search Under Scrutiny
Crypto Investor Arrested for Alleged Kidnapping and Torture in Manhattan
Labour MPs Divided Over £5 Billion Welfare Cuts
UK Signs £101 Million Annual Deal on Chagos Islands
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Welfare Cuts
Reform UK Gains Control of Lancashire Council
UK Government Introduces Measures to Accelerate Housebuilding
Government Delays Child Poverty Strategy Publication
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Carrie Johnson Announces Birth of Fourth Child
Russian Drone and Missile Strikes Kill 13 in Ukraine
Various Developments in UK Sports, Health, and Security
Netanyahu Accuses Western Leaders of 'Emboldening Hamas'
Multiple Injuries Reported Following Stabbing Attack in Germany
Escalating Trade Tensions and Market Reactions
Major Global Events: Ukraine-Russia Prisoner Exchange, Nuclear Talks, and Other Developments
US President Threatens Apple with 25% Tariff on iPhones Not Made in America
Escaped Psychiatric Patient Sentenced for Killing Church Warden with Golf Umbrella
Police Scotland 'At Breaking Point' Amid Soaring Mental Health Absences
Asylum Seeker Jailed for Spreading Islamic State Propaganda Online
Billy Joel Cancels All Upcoming Concerts Due to Brain Disorder
British Taxpayers Face £31 Billion Loss from 2008 RBS Bailout
Tottenham Hotspur Clinch European Title Amid Manager's Defiant Message
Starmer's Winter Fuel Cut U-Turn Claim Deemed 'Not Credible'
Keir Starmer's NHS Boast Faces Scrutiny Over Comparisons During Strike Periods
UK Scientists Launch Urgent Study to Save Declining Bee Populations
Gary Neville Banned from Nottingham Forest's Stadium for Premier League Finale
Greenland Awards Mining Rights to Danish-French Consortium
Majority of Germans Want to Leave the Country, Poll Finds
Stabbing Attack in Germany Leaves Multiple Injured
OnlyFans Reportedly in Talks for $8 Billion Sale
Booz Allen Hamilton to Cut 2,500 Jobs Amid Federal Spending Reductions
JBS Gains Shareholder Approval for U.S. Stock Listing
Trump Signs Executive Orders to Accelerate Nuclear Energy Development
Harvard Temporarily Blocks Trump Administration's International Student Ban
Nippon Steel Forms Partnership with U.S. Steel, Headquarters to Remain in Pittsburgh
Trump Expands Tariff Threats to Apple and Samsung Devices
Oracle and OpenAI Plan $40 Billion Nvidia Chip Purchase for AI Data Center
Trump Threatens 50% Tariff on EU Goods, Markets React
Americans Seek British Citizenship in Record Numbers Post-Trump Re-election
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
UK Justice Secretary Advocates for Good Conduct Release Policies to Alleviate Prison Overcrowding
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
UK Transfers Chagos Islands Sovereignty to Mauritius in Strategic Agreement
×