Hundreds of maternity staff at Nottingham University Hospitals come forward over poor working conditions

The Staff Voices initiative forms part of the independent maternity review of the city’s hospitals, which is being led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden.

It’s assessing maternity failings at Queen’s Medical Centre and the City Hospital over several years.

That includes examining cases of stillbirth, neonatal deaths, mothers who have died during and after birth, and instances of harm to mothers and their babies whilst in the trust’s care.

So far, almost 2,000 families have come forward to take part in the inquiry since September 2022.

However, the maternity review has also invited maternity staff to share their experiences so Ms Ockenden can understand the maternity failings at NUH.

In a July letter to Anthony May, the hospital trust’s chief executive of NUH, Ms Ockenden said: “Many staff are reporting significant distress at the working conditions within maternity services at the trust.

“These predate the review and some distress exists to the current time.”

According to the letter, maternity staff’s distress has been the result of ‘bullying’, favouritism with shift flexibility and a lack of support for newly qualified midwives.

It was also noted that previous members of maternity staff have left the trust due to anxiety, stress and burnout.

In a response letter, Mr May said: “In relation to staffing, duty rotas and the allocation of shifts can be contentious, but our process includes the check of all ward-produced rosters by matrons and the workforce lead.

“This ensures that the skill mix for each shift is appropriate, that flexible working arrangements are honoured, and that there is no obvious imbalance in shift allocation for individuals.”

According to Mr May’s letter, the trust has Freedom to Speak Up Guardians to increase staff’s confidence in raising any work-related issues.

In a statement last month, the chief executive added: “I am confident that our maternity services are properly staffed and that we have effective monitoring systems in place.

“At the same time, I am committed to ensuring we have sufficient resources in place to maintain safe and effective care.”

The maternity inquiry is proposed to be published in September 2025.