The lives of 55 babies could have been saved with better care at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust

Avoidable outcomes

However, UH Sussex NHS Trust’s own internal review, conducted between 2019 and 2023, examined maternity deaths and found that the deaths of at least 55 babies could have been avoided with better maternity care.

In addition a review of nine stillbirths in 2021 and 2022 found missed opportunities in all cases, where there was a reluctance to carry out C-section births (with an unhealthy focus on “normal births” which promote vaginal deliveries without any medical intervention). Whilst, as an aside the Trust also had the highest payment for maternity errors in England last year.

Hold people to account

Families affected by these traumatic events have since lobbied Health Secretary Wes Streeting for an independent investigation into the Trust and want senior midwife, Donna Ockenden, who chaired an independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust to lead it.  They are also concerned that the current national maternity review led by Baroness Amos doesn’t go far enough.

Bereaved families believe that that a judge-led public inquiry is what is needed to hold people to account because it will really scrutinise events and be able to compel people to give evidence. Furthermore they want someone chairing the investigation who they trust, and who also has experience of an investigation on this scale and is not afraid to speak their mind on any findings. However, terms of reference for this review have yet to be agreed by Wes Streeting.

Meaningful improvements

A Care Quality Commission (CQC) report in December 2025 rated maternity care at the Royal Sussex County Hospital as requiring improvement, which was only one up step from its inadequate rating four years earlier. The Trust’s response has been to apologise, promise to listen to women and families, learn from the past, support their staff and make meaningful improvements. To date this has seen the recruitment of 40 additional midwives across their four maternity units, bringing them up to full staffing, together with the introduction of a dedicated telephone triage service staffed by highly experienced midwives whose sole focus is making safe, timely decisions about when women should come into hospital and the increase of theatre capacity for planned Caesarean births.

Minimise the impact of the claim process

Rachael Flanagan, Head of Medical Negligence at Alsters Kelley said. “No one should experience substandard maternity care. It is the right of women, babies and families to get the quality of care they need. However when things go wrong our role is to put our clients at the heart of everything we do and try to minimise the impact of the clinical negligence claim process.”

Rachael concluded. “At Alsters Kelley, our approach is personal, sensitive, and caring. Our clinical negligence lawyers have decades of experience in supporting people every step of the way so that you can get the answers you need and deserve, as well as secure any compensation you may be entitled to for any harm you suffered at the hands of clinicians you trusted.”

Free initial meeting for support and advice

If you have any concerns about the maternity treatment you, or someone you know, has received and would like help or advice, please contact Rachael Flanagan on 01926 356030 or email rachael.flanagan@alsterskelley.com.

We offer a free 30-minute appointment where we can support and guide you in the right direction. And thanks to our network of offices covering Banbury, Coventry, Leamington, Nuneaton, Stratford-upon-Avon and Southam we are very accessible too.