Maternity Safety Failings at Leeds Teaching Hospitals
Posted on in Medical Negligence
At Tozers, our medical negligence team acts for families who have endured the devastating loss of a baby, as well as mothers who have suffered avoidable injuries during childbirth. Recent findings from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust highlight serious failings in maternity care, with consequences that have affected many families.
A Systemic Failure in Maternity Safety
The national review into the Trust’s maternity services, published by NHS England earlier this year, identified widespread concerns about safety and quality of care. Inspectors noted ongoing risks for mothers and babies and issued more than 100 recommendations to drive urgent improvements.
Key issues within the report included:
- Understaffing and inadequate clinical leadership.
- A “challenging culture” resistant to learning from past mistakes.
- Poor escalation procedures, especially out of hours.
- Lack of essential equipment, such as cardiotocography (CTG) machines for monitoring fetal wellbeing.
- Insufficient response to families following adverse outcomes.
- Failure to implement previous safety recommendations.
Following a March 2025 inspection, NHS England issued 101 urgent recommendations to address these failings. The Trust has since been placed under the Maternity Safety Support Programme, a national intervention reserved for the most concerning maternity units.
Accounts from Bereaved Families
In the last six months, the BBC spoke to 67 families, as reported in their coverage of the investigation. Many of these families reported injuries or deaths of their babies due to mistakes in care.
Their testimonies are harrowing and mirror those which our medical negligence team regularly hears from clients. Grieving parents are often left feeling ignored or dismissed, with unanswered questions. So often, the errors could have been prevented.
Among these stories is that of Fiona Winser-Ramm, whose daughter Aliona died in 2020. An inquest into her death found “gross failures” in the care provided. Fiona is now one of many families calling for a full independent inquiry to hold those responsible to account and prevent further tragedies.
A collective of bereaved families described the report as “shocking and horrifying”, reflecting the same disappointment we often hear from clients when their own investigation reports fail to provide answers.
Accountability and the Path Forward
Despite assurances of action, concerns remain that improvements are not happening quickly enough. An NHS whistleblower, speaking to the BBC, explained that issues highlighted in the report had already been identified during earlier risk review meetings but had not been resolved.
They said there were “still huge concerns about the lack of progress” and warned that "many areas of concern had not been rectified" since January 2025. The whistleblower also noted that the Trust would have seen the MSSP report before it was published, as early as May 2024.
Acknowledging the seriousness of the situation, Chief Nurse Rabina Tindale said:
“This report has highlighted significant areas where we need to improve our maternity services, and my priority is to make sure we urgently take action to deliver the recommendations. I would like to apologise to all the families who have received maternity care with us which has fallen short of the high standard we aim to provide.”
The Trust’s Chief Executive also highlighted the commitment to change:
“I am committed to making sure our robust maternity improvement plans, already developed with the CQC and NHS England, are fully embedded, and that we engage constructively with the Rapid National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal services as it develops.”
Nevertheless, families and staff continue to press for transparency, independent oversight, and meaningful improvements, reflecting the urgent need for a maternity system that truly prioritises safety.
Legal Support for Families Affected by Maternity Negligence
As a firm with a specialist medical negligence team, we recognise the profound impact that poor maternity care has on parents and families. No parent should ever endure the loss of a child due to avoidable medical errors.
You can contact us if you or someone you love has suffered:
- Stillbirth or baby loss due to hospital negligence
- Neonatal death following substandard care
- Birth injuries affecting mother or baby
While no legal action can undo the pain of your loss, a successful claim can provide answers and compensation in recognition of the avoidable harm.
Contact Us
At Tozers LLP, we offer confidential, compassionate, and free initial consultations to families who believe their baby’s death or injury may have been the result of maternity negligence.