67 families have told the BBC that they want an independent review of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s maternity units after they received inadequate care. These include parents whose babies have died or been injured, mothers with injuries and trauma and the families of women who died.

A group of the families have asked Health Secretary Wes Streeting to appoint senior midwife Donna Ockenden to review the cases. Ockenden and her team are currently carrying out the review into maternity failings at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, known as the ‘Ockenden report’ or the ‘Ockenden review’, which is the largest of its kind in NHS history. You can read more about the latest updates to the Nottingham maternity review here.

The move also adds pressure on the Health Secretary to hold a national inquiry into maternity safety in the UK.

A whistleblower from the trust told the BBC “People are scared to raise concerns because nothing ever happens when they are raised. There’s a ‘what’s the point’ attitude.”

They also said that the trust does not “learn from their mistakes” and that things are “swept under the carpet”.

The experiences of the families in Leeds bear a striking resemblance to the ‘maternity scandal’ cases being reviewed in Nottingham. The common themes of under-staffing and a lack of training, women not being listened to, a lack of compassion and a culture of cover-ups are being heard time and time again across the country. As these cases begin to mount, and we see an increase in reviews of maternity services hitting the headlines, Geldards would welcome a national inquiry into maternity safety across the UK.

Donna Ockenden’s final report into the care failings in Nottingham is due to be published in June 2026.

If you or your loved ones have been affected by maternity care failings at any hospital, contact Geldards Medical negligence team to help you to get the answers you need and the compensation you are entitled to.