Statement by families affected by failures in maternity care at Nottingham University Hospitals to the announcement that there is to be a police investigation.

Police Investigation into Nottingham Maternity Scandal

“We welcome the long-awaited news of this police investigation and we are very grateful to the Chief Constable Kate Meynell for her decision.

There will be a wealth of information from victim families for her team to use. A large number of us have alleged crimes and we will be sharing our evidence with the police to assist them with their investigations. There has been poor maternity care as well as poor investigation of that care at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust over many years.

Sadly, referral to the police was first mentioned in whistleblowing letters and conversations by Dr Jack and Sarah Hawkins in 2016 following the death of their daughter, Harriet, on the 17^th April that year. They specifically asked the leaders of NUHT to notify the police of her avoidable death, not just because of the care, but because of the behaviours of staff who were supposed to investigate and learn from her death. This conversation has been repeated multiple times with senior people at NUHT and with the local NHS over the years. 

We anticipate that we will be meeting with the Chief Constable soon to understand what the police investigation will mean for each and every one of us. We hope and believe it will encompass not just the care of individuals who have dead and seriously harmed babies and mothers, but also what families allege is a far-reaching cover-up by NUHT and NHS staff.”

END

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NOTES TO EDITORS

About Baby Harriet

Senior NHS Physiotherapist Sarah and Dr Jack Hawkins whistle blew the problems at NUH following the death of their daughter, Harriet, who died intrapartum on 17^th April 2016 as a result of a mismanaged labour.  At the time the couple both worked for NUHT - Jack was a Hospital Consultant (Clinical Director in the Emergency Care Improvement Support Team of NHS Improvement) and Sarah, a Senior Physiotherapist.

Because Harriet was stillborn, there was no inquest into her death, and the couple were told she had “died of an infection”. Their medical knowledge meant they knew this to be untrue, therefore with the support of their solicitors they embarked on their own investigations to discover the truth behind their daughter’s death which exposed the inadequacies in NUH’s maternity services.

They continue to coordinate and uncover experiences of others who have suffered maternity trauma at NUH. In short, they have been the powerhouse behind exposing the maternity scandal at NUHT and the subsequent stages that have led to this announcement today. Each new story shared forces the couple to relive their own trauma, but they do so in memory of Harriet and all the other babies who have died.

This is Jack and Sarah's scan photo of Baby Harriet Hawkins

DOCUMENTS

1. June 2016 – whistleblowing communication to NUH
2. November 2016 – Coroner communications
3. January 2017 – Communication with the CCG Commissioner for maternity (record of meeting November 2016)
4. February 2017 – Q+A Communications with NUH and Jack and Sarah Hawkins
5. April 2018 – Communication from Jack and Sarah to NUH confirming what was discussed at a meeting with NUH in 2017

For further information about this release or to request interviews please contact Natalie Rodgers, Marketing Director: natalierodgers@scala.uk.com / 0114 4070159/ 07881 780608