Independent maternity inquiry vital, campaigners say

Independent scrutiny of a hospital trust's maternity services is vital, a campaign group has said.

In an open letter, Families Failed by OUH (Oxford University Hospitals) Maternity Services has called on the government to urgently commission a "full, independent investigation" into the trust's maternity and neonatal services.

The group, made up of more than 800 families, was launched in June 2024 in response to growing concerns over the safety and quality of OUH's maternity care.

OUH said it remained "fully committed to... continuously improve the quality of maternity care". The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the health secretary would be meeting the group in the near future.

The letter was addressed to Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper and Labour MP Michelle Welsh, who is maternity adviser to the DHSC.

The group said that despite "repeatedly contacting" three health secretaries in two years, "we are still no closer to answers, accountability or change".

"Behind the statistics are families with experiences we should not recognise in a modern NHS," the letter added.

Earlier this year, a BBC investigation found that 58 babies at OUH might have survived with better care.

The letter said that in November 2025, the group sent the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation (NMNI) a report, drawing on the testimony of more than 700 families.

The group claimed that "most, if not all, of the analysis of family testimonials and evidence submissions for the NMNI was done by an AI system".

It said this "appears to have resulted in a failure to capture the complexity of families' accounts and the recurring patterns of harm they described".

The group is calling for the "methodology, human oversight and treatment of family evidence" to be examined as part of an independent investigation.

The BBC has approached the DHSC for a response.

The group said an investigation commissioned or influenced by OUH, or by bodies "closely tied to it", "would not gain families' trust and would not be credible".

The letter concluded: "Oxfordshire families are asking for a maternity service that meets the highest standard of safety – and we are asking you to make that a reality by commissioning an independent investigation that leads to changes that are desperately needed to ensure OUH delivers safe, compassionate and dignified care."

Prof Meghana Pandit, chief executive officer at OUH, said: "We are very sorry for the poor experience that some mothers and families have had in our care.

"This is below the standards we aim to deliver for our patients."

She added: "We encourage women and families to communicate with us so we can learn from them and work with them to address the areas where care may have fallen short.

"Concerns about individual behaviours are taken extremely seriously, and any behaviour that does not meet the standards and values expected is challenged and managed appropriately."

A DHSC spokesperson said: "The secretary of state has made improving maternity services a personal priority and is chairing the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to ensure the reforms needed to deliver safer care for every mother and baby are implemented.

"We're continuing to make significant investments in maternity care, including hiring almost 2,000 more midwives since taking office and investing £271m since April 2025 to tackle critical safety risks in maternity and neonatal estate."

The spokesperson said NHS England was providing OUH maternity services with "rapid, targeted support, and bringing together hospital leaders and national experts on a regular basis to make sure progress is being made and hold them to account when it is not".