Hospitals prosecuted over baby deaths

Nottingham University Hospitals Trust intends to plead guilty to the charges relating to care and treatment to the babies, it has said.

The trust is at the centre of the NHS’s largest ever maternity investigations, which is expected to cover around 2,500 cases. It has already been fined £800,000 after admitting failings in the care of Wynter Andrews, who died in 2019.

In a statement, the trust said: “We can confirm that the CQC is bringing charges against Nottingham University Hospitals Trust following an investigation into three deaths which occurred in our maternity services in 2021.

“We have co-operated with the CQC throughout their investigation, and intend to plead guilty to the charges when proceedings open.

“We are not able to comment any further at this stage.”

The case is expected to be heard at Nottingham Magistrates Court next week.

The independent review, led by Donna Ockenden, is now expected to report in June 2026 after more cases were included in its work. These had been admitted after some cases which should have been provided to the review by the trust earlier came to light. Ms Ockenden said it was due to a “genuine misunderstanding”.

The review was set up in May 2022 by NHS England. The current chief executive, Anthony May, joined in September 2022.