What next as the police open their investigation into city baby deaths?

CORPORATE MANSLAUGHTER PROBE EXPLAINED

- By JOEL MOORE

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Police have launched a corporate manslaughter investigation into the city's maternity units but what does that mean?.

The probe comes after failings led to hundreds of baby deaths and injuries at the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital.

It was a seismic announcement, but not one that came out of the blue. The force announced its original investigation Operation Perth in September 2023, and started work the following April.

It also came amid the backdrop of the biggest independent review of maternity services in NHS history, expected to hear from about 2,500 families.

While welcoming the news, campaigning parents believe it was long overdue.

So what happens next? We answer some key questions:

WHAT DOES CORPORATE MANSLAUGHTER MEAN?

■Corporate manslaughter is a relatively new offence, coming into force in England and Wales in 2008.

It was created to make sure companies and other organisations could be held properly accountable for very serious failings resulting in death.

Detective Superintendent Matthew Croome, who is leading the investigation, said the force was “looking to see if the overall responsibility lies with the organisation rather than specific individuals”.

To secure a prosecution, police would need to find evidence of a gross breach of duty of care by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), and that actions by senior management were a “substantial element”, according to Jason Newall, partner in the regulatory and criminal investigations team at law firm Irwin Mitchell.

"There needs to be some failings in the top level of the organisation,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be the sole reason why that person died. It just needs to be more than minimal.”

Examples could include failures to comply with health and safety legislation, or encouraging staff not to comply with policies.