Please help us shape the future of maternity services – an open letter to our communities | Latest news

We are inviting families who have experienced our maternity services to join us at an event on Saturday 14 November 2026. You can register your interest to attend the event here. 

At this event, we will share our response to the actions set out in the Maternity Review and our plans for establishing a Perinatal Families Advisory Board. The event will be interactive and will offer an opportunity to shape the Perinatal Families Advisory Board.

On 24 June 2026, Donna Ockenden published the Independent Review of Maternity Services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH).

The following day, we announced the establishment of a new Learning and Improvement Board. This fulfils our public commitment made in 2024 to provide robust, ongoing public oversight of our progress against the essential actions set out in Donna’s report.

The Learning and Improvement Board will be supported by two additional groups: one representing families, co-chaired by Donna Ockenden and a family member, and one representing staff, ensuring that lived experiences and frontline insight remain central to our maternity improvement work.

We recognise the profound and lasting impact that the experiences highlighted by the Review have had on many families. We know that rebuilding trust will take time and requires much more than words. It means listening with care, learning from what has happened, and working together to make meaningful and lasting improvements.

The Perinatal Families Advisory Board will ensure that the voices of families affected by the Review remain at the heart of our improvement work, and that local families play a central and meaningful role in shaping the changes we make.

Throughout the Review, we have worked closely with Donna Ockenden and her team, and we are grateful for the openness and courage of everyone who has shared their experiences. We remain fully committed to ensuring that all immediate and essential actions are implemented and embedded in everyday practice, helping us to provide safer and more compassionate care for future generations of families.

We will co-host the event with Donna Ockenden and Michelle Welsh, MP for Sherwood Forest and the Government’s National Maternity Advisor, who will chair the Learning and Improvement Board.

Most importantly, this event is an opportunity for us to listen to you. We would really value your views on our future plans and want to work in partnership with families and our local communities to shape how improvements are made and how independent oversight is maintained.

Event details
Saturday 14 November 2026
10am-12pm (refreshments available from 9.30am)
Hilton Nottingham Hotel
Milton Street
Nottingham
NG1 3PZ

Register your attendance
We hope you will be able to join us. The event has a capacity of 90 people, so places will be offered on a first come, first served basis.

If you are offered a place but are no longer able to attend, we would be grateful if you could let us know so that we can offer it to someone on the waiting list. We will also share the information provided at the event with everyone who expresses an interest.

To register your interest to attend the event, please use the registration form here.

Thank you for your continued engagement and support. We look forward to meeting with you and working together so that the experiences and voices of families continue to guide lasting improvements in our maternity services.

If you have any questions about the event please email: nuhnt.imrfamilyadvisoryboard@nhs.net 

Yours sincerely,

Elaine Baylis
Trust Chair

Anthony May
Chief Executive