The Ockenden Nottingham Review report release

What It Is, What We Might Expect, and How to Look After Yourself

In June 2026, the final report from the Ockenden Review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is expected to be published. The review has been chaired by Donna Ockenden, a senior midwife who has previously led major independent reviews into maternity care, including the review into maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust. The Nottingham review is looking at serious concerns raised by families about maternity care at Nottingham City Hospital and Queen’s Medical Centre. The review closed to new cases on 31 May 2025 and is due to publish its report in June 2026, with families expected to receive individual feedback in the months following publication.

For many families, this report will not be an abstract news story. It may be deeply personal. It may connect to pregnancy, birth, loss, trauma, grief, medical harm, or experiences of not being listened to when something felt wrong. Even for those who were not directly involved, media coverage of maternity failings can bring up painful memories of birth trauma, pregnancy complications, neonatal care, miscarriage, stillbirth, infant loss, or difficult interactions with health professionals.

What is the Ockenden Nottingham Review?

The Ockenden Nottingham Review is an independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Independent reviews are usually commissioned when there are serious concerns that care may not have been safe, compassionate, timely, or properly investigated.

This review has gathered information from families, staff, records, and clinical experts. Its purpose is to understand what happened, where care may have fallen short, whether warning signs were missed, and what needs to change to protect families in the future.

The review is expected to publish one final report, rather than several reports, and NHS England has stated that it will be published on or before 30 June 2026.

What might the report include?

We cannot know the exact findings until the report is published. However, we can make some gentle assumptions based on the previous Ockenden review into Shrewsbury and Telford maternity services, alongside the accounts already shared by women and families affected by maternity care in Nottingham, many of whom have spoken about feeling unheard, dismissed, frightened, harmed, or left without clear answers after traumatic experiences.

The Shrewsbury report examined the care of 1,486 families over two decades and looked at cases involving maternal harm, newborn harm, infant harm, and poor investigation processes. It found that opportunities had been missed to improve maternity services sooner, even when families had repeatedly raised concerns.

Based on that previous report, the Nottingham report may include themes such as:

Poor communication with families
Concerns not being listened to or acted upon
Delays in recognising risk
Inadequate escalation when mothers or babies were deteriorating
Failures in investigation after harm occurred
Staffing, culture, leadership, and systems issues
The emotional impact on families after avoidable harm
Recommendations for change within Nottingham maternity services and the wider NHS

Why this report may feel difficult to read

For anyone who has experienced birth trauma, pregnancy loss, neonatal trauma, medical negligence, or a frightening experience during maternity care, and even women or families who are planning future pregnancies or are pregnant, this report may be distressing to read.

You might notice yourself feeling angry, tearful, numb, anxious, panicky, or overwhelmed. You might feel pulled towards reading everything, while also feeling frightened by it. You might find yourself thinking about your own birth, your baby, your body, or the moments where you felt powerless or unheard. You may also feel very worried about where to give birth and feel very distressed by the prospect of this.

You may also feel conflicted. Some people feel relief when these stories are finally acknowledged. Some feel devastated. Some feel hopeful that change may happen. Some feel furious that it has taken so long. I have worked with many women affected by traumatic childbirth, and often they experience all of these emotions at the same time. This is normal and human.

When something has affected your sense of safety, trust, or bodily autonomy, reading about similar experiences can bring you back to that time or emotional place. This does not mean you are overreacting. It means your body is recognising something that matters.

How to look after yourself if you choose to read the report

You do not have to read the report in full.

You do not have to read it on the day it is published.

You do not have to read the most graphic details to prove that you care.

You can choose to not read it at all and avoid media coverage altogether.

Before reading, it may help to pause and ask yourself:

Do I feel steady enough to read this today?
Am I reading because I want information, or because I feel compelled to know everything?
Do I have support available afterwards?
Would it be kinder to read a summary first?
Would I prefer someone I trust to sit with me, or check in afterwards?
Would it be helpful to sit with someone professional to look at this, so that I have support immediately with me?

Try to read slowly. Take breaks. Notice your body. If your chest tightens, your breathing changes, your stomach drops, or you feel detached and floaty, these are important signs to listen out for.

You could also plan something grounding for afterwards. Go for a slow walk in nature. A warm drink you enjoy. A shower (cold always helps!). Time with someone safe. Holding something textured. Watching something familiar. Anything that gently reminds your system that you are in the present moment.

How to cope with media coverage

Media coverage can be especially difficult because headlines are often written to grab attention. You may come across phrases, images, or details unexpectedly while scrolling.

You are allowed to protect yourself from this.

You might choose to:

Mute certain words on social media
Avoid reading comment sections
Limit how many articles you read
Ask someone else to summarise key points for you
Step away from the news for a few days
Remind yourself that being informed does not mean being constantly exposed

If you are directly affected by the review, you may also want to think about how you want to receive information. Some people want to know as much as possible. Others need distance. Some move between the two. There is no correct response.

If this connects to your own birth trauma

Birth trauma is not only about what happened medically. It is also about how you felt during and after the experience.

Were you listened to?
Were you believed?
Were you treated with dignity?
Were things explained to you?
Did you feel safe?
Did you feel that you had choices?
Were you left alone with fear, pain, confusion, or grief?

Many people minimise their own experiences because they tell themselves, “other people had it worse”, “I had a healthy baby at the end” or “at least we survived.” But trauma does not work like that. You are allowed to be grateful and traumatised; the two can coexist. You are allowed to love your baby and feel devastated by the birth. You are allowed to want answers. You are allowed to feel angry.

If you find the report or the media coverage difficult, please try not to judge yourself for your reaction. Your response may be connected to something your body has carried for a long time.

You do not need to read everything.
You do not need to debate your experience online.
You do not need to explain your grief or trauma to people who are not safe with it.
You do not need to rush your feelings.

If this report brings up difficult, distressing feelings, or you feel like you would benefit from exploring this with someone who understands, please contact me.

You deserve care that feels safe and compassionate. Care that holds your views, wants and wishes central and recognises that you know your body and your baby best.

If you need support, I am here for you.

Chloe x