One in five baby deaths 'potentially avoidable' - report

More than one in five baby deaths in the UK were "potentially avoidable had different care been given", a report has found.

An annual review conducted by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford collated investigations into the deaths of 4,110 babies in 2025.

Published this week, the report identified at least one issue with maternity care in 93% of fatalities, with those problems potentially affecting the outcome of 21% of cases.

It comes after maternity services at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) faced intense scrutiny in recent years.

The Perinatal Mortality Review Tool (PMRT) has examined baby deaths in the UK for the past eight years, and is used by the NHS to conduct standardised enquiries into incidents.

The purpose of the free-to-access online system is to give bereaved parents an answer to "why their baby died and whether different care may have resulted in a different outcome".

In its latest review, the PMRT raised concerns that "many of the most common issues with care have remained similar over time".

These included late or absent booking for maternity care, inadequate foetal growth surveillance, and management of reduced foetal movements.

Surgical and social problems during pregnancy, assessment of maternal risk and staffing during labour and birth, and thermal and respiratory management of newborn babies were also recurring issues, the report said.

Prof Jenny Kurinczuk, director of the PMRT National Programme, said: "This report indicates that about one in five baby deaths were potentially avoidable had different care been given.

"The trend data also highlights that the same issues with care are repeatedly identified indicating where service improvement activities need to focus.

"Carrying out good quality local PMRT reviews has the capacity to improve care for all mother, babies and families, and to prevent future baby deaths."

While the PMRT covers the national picture, dozens of bereaved parents and harmed mothers have specifically criticised services in Oxfordshire.

A BBC investigation earlier this year found that 58 babies at an OUH maternity unit might have survived with better care.

That was followed by a rapid review into maternity care in England led by Baroness Amos, which investigated 12 NHS trusts and was published in June.

Among them was OUH, which she found was "arrogant" and felt as if there was an "Oxford way" of doing things, given its world leading status as a university city.

OUH said it would "place the experiences shared with Baroness Amos and her team at the heart" of its plan to improve services.

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