Nottingham baby deaths families 'deserve answers'

The health secretary has described meeting families affected by the Nottingham maternity scandal as the "most harrowing" meeting he has had in the role.

Wes Streeting said families deserved "answers" for failings that led to hundreds of babies dying or being injured at maternity units in Nottingham.

Nottinghamshire Police has opened a corporate manslaughter investigation and said it was examining whether maternity care provided by Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS trust had been grossly negligent.

NUH previously said it was "deeply sorry for the pain and suffering caused" and it was "absolutely right" that accountability was taken.

NUH is at the centre of the largest maternity inquiry in the history of the NHS, with about 2,500 cases of neonatal deaths, stillbirths and harm to mothers and babies being examined by independent midwife Donna Ockenden.

Streeting said he would be going back to meet families shortly to report on the steps the government would take to deliver "justice" and added he had "carefully" considered calls for a public inquiry.

He said: "There were other calls for public inquiries. I think it's right that I report back to families before making any public announcements.

"What I feel very strongly about is two things.

"One is that these families deserve answers and accountability for the ordeal they have been through and the impact they're left with for the rest of their lives.

"We also need to rapidly deliver improvements to maternity safety so that other families don't have to go through what they are suffering with every day."

The police investigation will centre on two maternity units overseen by the trust, which runs the Queen's Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital.

The force said its investigation into deaths and serious injuries related to NUH's maternity care - called Operation Perth - had seen more than 200 family cases referred to it so far.

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