ITV documentary on maternity services
A documentary broadcast on ITV about maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) shared the experiences of families who were previously affected by poor care in our maternity services.
Maternity: Broken Trust, broadcast on Sunday 9 June, included interviews with the families and others affected.
A statement from Anthony May, Chief Executive of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH):
“I know we have failed too many women and their families, and I acknowledge the pain and suffering they continue to experience as a result. For that, I am truly sorry.
“I recognise the strength it takes to share experiences in the way that families have, and I am grateful to all those who have engaged with me since I joined NUH in 2022. I am clear that we must listen to women and families and act on their feedback if we are to continue our improvement and rebuild the trust in our services.
“We made a public commitment last year to engage in an open and honest way with the families involved in the Independent Maternity Review being led by Donna Ockenden, as well as all women and families within our maternity services. We are determined to meet that commitment and we do not take the families’ engagement for granted.
“It is my hope that the review will give those involved the answers that they deserve. We support the review fully and continue to work closely with Donna and her team. We receive regular feedback from Donna, which we incorporate into our maternity improvement programme.
“We have further to go, but the most recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) report published in September 2023 reflects the progress we are making, with an improved rating for our maternity services. The report underlines the improvements we are making to how we listen to women and families, and highlights key improvements in areas such as triage, staffing levels and training, which are due to the hard work and determination of our colleagues.
“We will continue to strive to give the women and families of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire the maternity service they deserve, and to ensure we have the right environment, culture and support for them and our staff.”