Families involved in the largest NHS maternity scandal say they are ‘playing whack-a-mole’ with a hospital trust after more than 200,000 records of mothers and babies were lost.
In September, Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUH) revealed that a “human error” on August 18, 2026, had caused the accidental loss of some maternity data relating to women and babies who received care at the trust between September 2011 and November 2022.
The trust, which runs Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital, said that during routine technical work, an error had occurred while creating a copy of a radiotherapy database for reporting purposes. The process used a set of pre-written computer instructions that had previously been utilised for a different hospital system.
A setting that should have been changed before the process was run was missed, resulting in the process being carried out on a maternity database – concerning records relating to women and babies who received care between September 2011 and November 2022 – instead of the radiotherapy database.
This caused the records to be overwritten, NUH said.
The trust previously confirmed it had restored information needed to support patient care, including clinical notes, observations and test results, but that it was not able to restore the complete history showing who viewed the maternity records during this period – what are known as access logs.
Families involved in the recent Donna Ockenden Maternity Review – the largest in NHS history – have previously said the news of the lost access logs “devastated” and “frustrated” them.
They explained the access logs acted as viewing history, which essentially shows an audit trail when developing a wider picture of someone’s care.
The independent review, which was published in June 2026, uncovered the true extent of a catalogue of failings by NUH’s maternity and neonatal service which led to the harm and death of more than 2,400 mothers and babies. The majority of cases were from 2012, but some dated as far back as 2006.
Emily Stringer, whose four-year-old daughter Caitlin suffered a serious brain injury at a few weeks old after delayed care at the trust in 2021, said the missing access logs “compounds the harm” for families involved.
She said: “For the maternity families who have already lived through harm, who are facing information delays, in accessing information, with information requests taking years, it adds to that harm, it compounds the harm.
“It feels like a really bad game of whack-a-mole. You bop one mole on the head and another one pops up somewhere else where you’re not expecting it – five years of whacking moles and they’re still coming up.”
Ms Stringer said families were told Nottinghamshire Police were forensically examining the error to see if there is a possibility of recovering the lost access logs
Jack Hawkins, whose daughter Harriet was stillborn at City Hospital in 2016 due to care failings, described the missing access logs a “heartbreaking disappointment”.
He said: “We understand the chief executive is ashamed and he should be.
“It is yet another kick in the teeth for families, yet another blow for families looking for accountability – we cannot believe they’re now unable to tell families who accessed their records.”
NUH says the data problem was “escalated within minutes of being identified”, where it worked with external specialists to recover as much data as possible.
The trust also notified the Information Commissioner’s Office [ICO] and Nottinghamshire Police, which is assessing whether the data issue has affected the force’s Operation Perth.
The police say at present, “no crime has been identified” with the recent data error.
Operation Perth is the force’s ongoing investigation into deaths and serious injuries relating to maternity care under NUH’s maternity service. It was closely aligned to the Ockenden review.
Andy Callow, chief digital and information officer at NUH, said: “I am sorry for the concern and distress this incident may cause to women and families affected.
“On August 18, 2026, a human error during a routine technical process resulted in a maternity records database being unintentionally overwritten.
“There has been no impact on current maternity services or the care provided to women and babies today. However, to date, we have been unable to fully restore the historical record showing who viewed maternity records between September 2011 and November 2022.
“We have informed the Information Commissioner’s Office, completed a full investigation and strengthened our processes and controls to help prevent a similar incident from happening again.”
Deputy Chief Constable Rob Griffin, Gold Commander for Operation Perth, added: “At present, no crime has been identified. We have received a report from the individual concerned and have spoken with them. Further assessment is ongoing, and we are awaiting analysis of the digital process that was used.
“In relation to recovery, we are awaiting a copy of the database, before any further attempts can be made. We anticipate receiving this during the course of the week.
“The overall impact on Operation Perth remains under assessment and we will be in a better position to provide a fuller update once the outstanding analysis and recovery work has been completed.
“I appreciate that this update may cause concern for families, and I would encourage anyone with questions or concerns to contact Operation Perth, where the team will be happy to provide support and, where possible, further information.”
An ICO spokesperson previously said: “When people access medical care, they share some of their most sensitive personal information and trust that it will be protected. We expect organisations to have appropriate measures in place to keep medical records safe and secure.
“[NUH] has made us aware of this incident involving maternity records and we are making enquiries.
“We recognise this incident may be concerning for those affected. Anyone worried about their personal information can visit the ICO website for advice and support.”
By Lauren Monaghan, Local Democracy Reporter