Staff at UK Maternity Unit Used Offensive Term to Refer to Patients | BBC News

Why It Matters

The scandal exposes systemic negligence in a critical public health service, prompting urgent reforms to protect maternal safety and restore confidence in the NHS.

Key Takeaways

• Midwives wrote “FOH” on pregnant patients’ charts, meaning “off home”.
• Staff repeatedly told laboring women to stay home despite complications.
• Independent review examines 2,500 Nottingham maternity cases for systemic failures.
• Understaffing and a “Nottingham way” culture blamed for poor patient care.
• Board overhaul aims to improve accountability and safety in maternity services.

Summary

BBC Panorama’s investigation uncovered a disturbing culture at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, where midwives marked pregnant patients’ charts with the offensive abbreviation “FOH” – short for “off home” – and repeatedly instructed women in early labor to remain at home. The report draws on testimonies from ten former staff members and families who suffered avoidable deaths, highlighting a pattern of dismissive attitudes toward patients in distress. The investigation reveals that the trust is reviewing roughly 2,500 maternity cases, exposing systemic failures rather than isolated incidents. Staff cited chronic understaffing and a self‑perceived “Nottingham way” of superiority as drivers of the toxic environment, with management allegedly ignoring warnings. A resignation letter from 2018 detailed the use of demeaning language and a lack of reflective practice after errors. Families of infants Winter and Harriet shared their harrowing experiences, illustrating how repeated warnings were ignored and how the offensive chart notes mirrored broader neglect. Former midwives described a culture that shunned accountability, while the trust’s board has now been entirely replaced in an effort to restore confidence. The findings underscore the urgent need for cultural overhaul, stronger oversight, and transparent accountability in NHS maternity services. If unaddressed, the scandal could erode public trust and prompt regulatory reforms across the health system.

Original Description

The Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) is currently at the centre of the largest maternity inquiry in the history of the NHS - looking at care provided to about 2,500 families between 2012 and 2025.

The inquiry has been investigating stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths, and injured babies and mothers at NUH, which runs City Hospital and Queen's Medical Centre.

Panorama has seen previously unreported documents and has also spoken to 10 midwives who worked there, about their experiences over the past decade providing a unique insight into what working conditions were like.

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