Broken trust: Inside England's maternity scandal

破裂的信任:英格兰产房丑闻内幕

The Story

2026-02-23

42 分钟
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Over the past decade, thousands of families say they have been failed by England's maternity services. With a review into 12 NHS trusts due to publish its interim findings this week, we hear from some of those affected. What went wrong? And can future tragedies can be prevented? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Guest: Poppy Koronka, health correspondent, The Times. Host: Luke Jones. Producer: Shabnam Grewal.  We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised, the following organisations may be able to help: Sands is a UK charity that provides support to anyone affected by the death of a baby. Please visit www.sands.org.uk or call the helpline on 0808 164 3332The Birth Trauma Association is a charity that supports women and families who have experienced traumatic birth. Visit www.birthtraumaassociation.org or call the helpline on 0203 621 6338Tommy's is a charity focused on pregnancy research in the UK. Visit their website www.tommys.org or call 0800 0147 800 Read more: NHS maternity failings leave women feeling blamed for poor care Clips: Parliament TV, Channel 4 News, Ockenden Maternity Review, Sky News, Photo: Getty Images. This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  • From The Times and The Sunday Times, this is the story.

  • I'm Luke Jones.

  • Two lines on a pregnancy test can mean excitement,

  • celebration, but also a lot of worry and nervousness.

  • Birth is life's greatest challenge, but for some, it is too challenging, too risky.

  • A woman is four and a half times more likely to die today in childbirth than in a road traffic accident or from a heart attack.

  • Today's is a difficult story, difficult to listen to perhaps, but it's important to hear.

  • I'd gone from the happiest I've ever been,

  • thinking I was going into hospital to bring my daughter home to like the worst possible news.

  • To the point where I sort of thought to myself, this has to be a nightmare, but this can't be real.

  • More than half of all maternity units across England are deemed not safe.

  • And a series of recent high-profile scandals have laid bare the failings of NHS leadership,

  • a lack of staff training,

  • a lack of staff but also a lack of compassion,

  • which have all contributed to the deaths of hundreds of mothers and babies.

  • You can kill children in this country as long as you do it in an NHS institution,

  • and you just go back to work the next day.

  • Seven major reviews of NHS maternity care have come and gone in England,

  • and yet mistakes keep being made.

  • And it's costing the NHS eye-watering amounts.