Pregnant women suffer racist and discriminatory abuse at NHS trust, says inquiry head

Pregnant women suffered racist and discriminatory abuse from staff at the trust, an inquiry has found. Illustration: Guardian Design

Expectant mothers at a scandal-hit NHS trust have experienced “discriminatory and racist behaviour” including staff mimicking their accents and refusing to provide interpreters, according to the head of an inquiry into its failings.

As part of the largest inquiry into a single service in the history of the NHS, Donna Ockenden’s team is conducting a review with more than 1,900 families who have experienced stillbirth, neonatal death, maternal death or babies diagnosed with brain damage at Nottingham University hospitals NHS trust (NUH).