Parents of baby stillborn at Nottingham City Hospital say they believe Nottinghamshire Police will leave “no stone unturned” in corporate manslaughter investigation of Nottingham University Hospitals Trust
The parents of a baby girl who was stillborn in the care of Nottingham City Hospital say they believe Notts Police will leave “no stone unturned” in a new corporate manslaughter investigation.
The investigation forms part of Operation Perth, Nottinghamshire Police’s ongoing criminal probe into care at the Queen’s Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital, which are both run by Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUH).
This investigation is running alongside the largest maternity inquiry in NHS history – led by independent midwife Donna Ockenden – looking into injuries and deaths of mothers and babies at NUH dating back to 2012.
The inquiry is now expected to involve around 2,500 families, with publication of its findings due in June 2026.
Corporate manslaughter is a criminal offence where an organisation has been grossly negligent in the management of its activities and duty of care, which has then led to a person’s death.
The investigation will look to see if overall responsibility of the deaths lies with NUH rather than specific individuals at the trust.
It is currently unclear exactly how many deaths the police are investigating, but the Ockenden review team has already submitted 200 files to the force.
Nottinghamshire Police said in a statement: “So far more than 200 family folders have been received by Operation Perth and around 2,500 are expected to be referred to the force.”
Jack and Sarah Hawkins, who are involved in the Ockenden Review, spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) today (June 2) about the investigation’s launch.
Their daughter, Harriet, was stillborn at Nottingham City Hospital in 2016.
Sarah said: “It’s really mixed emotions today. We really welcome the announcement, we feel that [for] families, for over 10 years, it’s taken a lot of trauma and harm to get to this position today.
“It’s sad as most of it would have been preventable.”
Jack said they believe Nottinghamshire Police “will leave no stone unturned” in their investigation.
He said: “We expect that there will be individuals who clearly knew and should’ve prevented ongoing child deaths.
“I suspect there will need to be both corporate manslaughter, because NUH failed so spectacularly, but also individual prosecutions as it was in their job descriptions to prevent and make the hospital safe.”
Sarah added: “People need to be held accountable and demonstrate they can’t get away with that behaviour – that means there needs to be sanctions.”
In a joint statement, Nick Carver, NUH chairman and Anthony May, NUH chief executive said the trust is “fully committed” to the ongoing police investigation and Ockenden Review.
They said: “It is absolutely right that we take organisational accountability where we have failed women, families and babies.
“We are deeply sorry for the pain and suffering caused. We know that for many families this harm and suffering will be lifelong.”
They added they recognise there is more to do with emphasising transparency, openness and accountability in the trust.
They continued: “Many families have shared their experiences with us, and we remain grateful for their strength and courage after such a harrowing and life affecting tragedy.”
They added their reassurance that NUH is “determined” to improving its maternity services, adding they “hope that affected families receive the answers that they deserve”.
Nottinghamshire Police has created a new online portal for families part of its investigation into NUH’s maternity services, ensuring they can stay informed on progress of Operation Perth and access support.
