Maternity

Maternity services at NUH are part of an Independent Maternity Review being led by Donna Ockenden which began in September 2022 and is currently expected to be published on 24 June 2026.

The review was established to listen to women and families, to fully understand their experiences, and to address concerns raised about the quality and safety of our maternity services. It will focus on parents and family’s experiences and identify areas of concern in our maternity care.

The review will make recommendations to help improve safety, quality and equity of our care.

We welcome the review and engage in it fully. We meet regularly with Donna Ockenden to listen to feedback that she has from families so that we can learn and take action to improve our services now. We also take the opportunity to update Donna Ockenden on the progress that we are making through our ongoing NUH Maternity Improvement Programme.

Below you will find all update letters to and from Donna Ockenden, which outline current progress and concerns. 

For more information about the review please see here.

Congratulations on your pregnancy. You can now register for an appointment once you have found out that you are pregnant. You no longer need to go to your GP in the first instance and can get an appointment with a Midwife at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) by completing an online referral. Our aim is to make sure you have access to the right care from day one. Our NUH Maternity teams will look at your referral based on the information you provide and the hospital will then contact you to start your antenatal care. In the meantime if you have any queries or concerns about your pregnancy then please contact your GP. 

After completing your referral form, the team will contact you once you are over 7 weeks pregnant to arrange your first appointment. If you require any assistance completing the form please call the Community Admin Team on 0115 840 2610 between the hours of 09.30 – 15.30 Monday - Friday (not including bank holidays).

You can also use this to refer a pregnancy on behalf of a woman.

You should also do this if you have moved to Nottingham area during your pregnancy. The form will then go straight to the Maternity Community Administration Team who will organise your registration and telephone you to verify details and arrange your booking appointment with  your local midwives. They will aim to complete your booking between 8 to 10 weeks of pregnancy. 

Complete the self referral form It is quick and takes just a few minutes.

Every year thousands of women give birth in our hospitals and community, and we want each and every one of those women to receive excellent care and have a positive experience with us. In the majority of cases this is happening, but not always and we know that isn’t good enough.   

We are committed to making improvements to your maternity services and that is reflected in our latest report from the independent regulator of healthcare in England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC). In September 2023, the CQC looked at maternity services at Queen’s Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital and increased the rating at both sites from inadequate to requires improvement.

While this latest CQC report is good news, we know there are more improvements to be made and we are committed to making those improvements to provide you and your babies with a safe and happy experience at NUH.  

Find out more our about our improvements, and our work with Donna Ockenden and Nottinghamshire Police in support of their reviews of our maternity services here.  

If you are pregnant and think you may need to come into hospital unexpectedly or in labour, please ring our Maternity Advice Line first on 0115 970 9777.

This allows you to speak with a midwife first, ensuring you are directed to the best place or provided with the best support/advice straight away. The Maternity Advice Line is free to call, open 24 hours a day, and manned by one of our friendly midwives.

If you are deaf or hard of hearing, the service "Relay UK" can provide support.

Routine Appointments

Please continue to call your community midwifery team for routine appointments.

Ward and Unit Contact Details – Maternity

City Hospital:

• City Maternity Unit
  0115 969 1169

• City Labour Suite
  0115 969 1169 Ext: 76710

• Bonington Ward
  0115 969 1169 Ext: 55162

• Lawrence Ward
  0115 969 1169 Ext: 55174

---

Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC):

• QMC Maternity Unit
  0115 924 9924 Ext: 86672

• QMC Labour Suite
  0115 924 9924 Ext: 81032

• Ward B26
  0115 924 9924 Ext: 89026

• Ward C29
  0115 924 9924 Ext: 89029

Important Notice: Unfortunately, we are unable to respond to emails directly related to your pregnancy, as any questions must be answered in light of your full pregnancy history.

For urgent concerns, please call the Midwifery emergency mobile number listed at the front of your notes between 9am - 5pm, Monday – Friday, or contact the NEMS out-of-hours service (also listed in the front of your notes) outside office hours.