A letter sent by worried staff shows why maternity care is still failing too many families

A review of maternity services in Nottingham found hundreds of mothers and babies suffered potentially avoidable harm or died due to "systemic failures"

In November 2018, health bosses in Nottingham were told there was "a crisis in our maternity services". A letter, signed by more than 50 staff at the Queen's Medical Centre, warned "mistakes will be inevitable" if problems weren't addressed.

They told bosses of chronic understaffing, a scarcity of critical safety equipment and "a dire lack of leadership". But management reaction to the letter was "inadequate", its author told me recently. It was effectively ignored.