Deaths of 56 babies at Leeds hospitals may have been preventable

The deaths of at least 56 babies, and two mothers, at an NHS trust over the past five years may have been prevented, the BBC has found.

The two maternity units at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust are rated "good" by England's healthcare regulator, but two whistleblowers have told the BBC they believe the units are unsafe.

Bereaved parents say they are concerned that the trust's chief executive during the period most of the deaths occurred is now leading the regulator, saying this could affect its independence in investigating LTH Trust.

In a statement, the trust told the BBC the vast majority of births at Leeds were safe, and deaths of mothers and babies were fortunately very rare.

It added that Leeds cares for a higher volume of babies with complex conditions as it is one of a "handful of specialist centres" in the UK.

The families describe a "tick box" and "wait and see" culture at the trust, plus a lack of compassionate care.

This has been echoed by whistleblower Lisa Elliott, who worked at the two sites in 2023. Describing the care as "appalling", she highlighted a failure to listen to patients. "That's when disasters happen, and a lot of them can be avoided," she said.

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Source: BBC News, 17 January 2025