Nottingham Hospitals Maternity Staff Used Offensive Acronym, Advised Discharging Pregnant Women
A 2018 resignation letter from a senior midwife at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) detailed a culture of disdain within the maternity unit. Staff reportedly used the acronym 'FOH' on whiteboards next to pregnant women’s names, signifying 'f*** off home'. Another midwife was quoted advising colleagues, 'Don’t be too kind, she’ll keep coming back,' encouraging the discharge of worried pregnant women.
These revelations coincide with the ongoing Donna Ockenden inquiry, the most extensive maternity investigation in NHS history, scrutinising care provided to approximately 2,500 families at NUH between 2012 and 2025. The inquiry, due to publish its findings on 24 June, examines stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths, and injuries to mothers and babies at City Hospital and Queen’s Medical Centre.
Interviews with ten former midwives depict a toxic, bullying environment and chronic understaffing. One midwife recounted a woman advised against hospital admission, whose baby was stillborn, with the mother sustaining severe injuries requiring a stoma bag. Staff alleged that management frequently miscalculated staffing levels, often forcing community midwives into maternity units, leading to exhaustion and a 'desensitised' approach to care.
In 2018, over 50 midwifery staff signed a letter to NUH management, citing 'inadequate staffing' as the primary threat to patient and midwife wellbeing. This plea, according to senior midwife Sue Brydon, was met with an 'inadequate' response, with management blaming the HR department rather than implementing substantive changes. The trust also reportedly used an internal 'high level incidents' classification system, circumventing national reporting standards and reducing external scrutiny for serious maternal harm and infant deaths.
Donna Ockenden has noted 'countless' examples of racist behaviour within the trust, including staff mimicking accents and discriminatory treatment of non-white women, particularly South Asian women whose pain complaints were often dismissed. Anthony May, current NUH chief executive, has publicly committed to addressing racism and improving care, acknowledging the organisation’s failings. A recent Care Quality Commission report upgraded the trust's rating from 'inadequate' to 'requires improvement'.
