Channel 4’s four-month joint investigation with The New Statesman into maternity care at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) has uncovered deeply troubling failures at one of Britain’s most prestigious hospitals. The investigation documents heartbreaking accounts of stillbirths, neonatal deaths and lifelong brain injuries, with families enduring unimaginable grief and trauma. These tragedies have been compounded by what many describe as a defensive institutional culture and distressing responses to those seeking answers.
Channel 4 and The New Statesman have spoken with over 20 families affected by the care they received at the John Radcliffe Hospital. These families have endured loss, injury and lasting trauma, and many are still awaiting the answers and accountability they need. You can read The New Statesman’s powerful written piece detailing the investigation’s finding here.
Laura Cook, one of our birth injury specialists at CL Medilaw, was interviewed by Channel 4 and The New Statesman as part of the investigation and has described OUH as having a “very defensive attitude when things go wrong”, often prioritising its reputation “to the hilt”. One of her cases, which reached a final settlement earlier this year, highlights the devastating consequences of such failures. There were admitted errors made by a lead Consultant during the birth, which left the child with severe brain damage, unable to walk, talk or feed themselves. In the days following the birth, the consultant involved wrote to the parents, “basically admitting that things had gone wrong”. Yet, it took 12 years for the Trust to formally acknowledge those failings and agree to compensation and a further three years before the case was finally settled. Laura adds that during that time, the parents were made to commence costly and lengthy legal proceedings, in which a formal response from the Trust was repeatedly delayed without good reason, putting them under even more strain and preventing their child from accessing many of the therapies and support needed.
The Families Failed by Oxford Maternity Services campaign, supporting women affected by poor OUH maternity care, now has over 660 members. Many report stillbirths, neonatal deaths and preventable injuries and avoidable trauma. Rebecca Matthews, the group’s co-founder, has bravely spoken out on behalf of the group to bring the Trust’s failings to the public and the government’s attention, and can be seen being interviewed about her experiences with the Trust on the Channel 4 news coverage.
The investigation has also reported on a deeply disturbing incident involving one of our clients, Naomi, whose youngest child was left severely disabled after birth. Following her attendance at the campaign groups’ first in-person meeting, Naomi was contacted by Thames Valley Police over comments she made to other group members in confidence when sharing their personal experiences. Another attendee at the meeting, later found to have links to OUH and one of its leading obstetric Consultants, had recorded the discussions and reported them to police. The remarks were later determined to be expressions of trauma rather than genuine threats, and no further action was taken by police. Naomi was left scared and further traumatised by the incident, and despite what has been reported, she has not received an apology from the Trust for the distress caused.
OUH is one of the Trusts included in Baroness Valerie Amos’ rapid national review of maternity services, and we have supported some of our clients in attending meetings with Baroness Amos as part of her review. As a result of Channel 4 and The New Statesman’s findings, Health Minister Wes Streeting, has called on NHS England to conduct a more comprehensive investigation into Oxford University Hospitals, extending beyond the remit of the Amos rapid review.
We are pleased that the voices of the families harmed by the Trust are finally being heard and we continue to support the Families Failed by OUH Maternity Services’ campaign for a judge-led public inquiry into OUH maternity services.
If you or a loved one has been impacted by the care at Oxford University Hospitals’ maternity services – we are here to offer our support and legal guidance.
Please get in touch for a free, confidential discussion with one of our specialist birth injury lawyers.
