BBC: Better care at Oxford maternity unit might have saved 58 babies
Mar 19th 2026
A BBC investigation found 58 baby deaths at Oxford University Hospitals from 2019 to 2024 that internal reviews said might have been prevented with different care, prompting independent probes, financial settlements and calls for a public inquiry.
- BBC Freedom of Information found 32 stillbirths and 26 neonatal deaths at Oxford University Hospitals between 2019 and 2024 that reviews say might have been avoidable.
- OUH completed 361 internal perinatal reviews and graded at least 58 cases C or D, indicating different care may have or likely would have changed outcomes.
- Twenty-seven baby deaths and two maternal deaths were independently investigated by the Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations body between 2019 and 2025, producing recommendations on monitoring, risk assessment and communication.
- The trust paid more than £72 million in obstetrics compensation between 2020 and 2025, compared with about £61 million at Nottingham for the same period.
- The Care Quality Commission downgraded OUH in 2021 and issued a warning notice after a 2025 inspection, while NHS England has provided targeted maternity support that will remain in place until June.
- Bereaved families and campaign groups say a defensive culture and missed chances persist and are calling for a judge-led public inquiry for accountability and change.