The joint BBC/New Statesman investigation also found missed opportunities in nine in stillbirths in 2021-22 and concerns over a ‘normal birth' culture promoting vaginal delivery with minimal medical intervention.

It also found payments for maternity errors at the trust were the highest in England last year.

UH Sussex was one of 14 trusts included in a national maternity investigation announced by health and social care secretary Wes Streeting in September 2025.

Maternity care at Royal Sussex County Hospital was upgraded from inadequate to requires improvement by the CQC in December.

UH Sussex response

A trust spokesperson said the 55 baby deaths related to reviews it carried out during 2019-23, which accounted for 0.1% of births during the period.

The trust said although a different outcome may have been possible, in the large of majority of cases, it was not likely.

The spokesperson said highlighting a single year for obstetric payouts was statistically flawed with many cases taking five to 10 years or longer to conclude, adding the trust was among the biggest in England.

UH Sussex said national data showed it had low rates of neonatal deaths and stillbirths, compared to national rates.

Addressing the families of those affected, Dr Andy Heeps, chief executive, UH Sussex, acknowledged the trust had not always got things right, adding: ‘As chief executive, I take responsibility for that, and I am deeply sorry for the pain and distress you experienced while under our care. 

‘Our purpose is simple: to provide the safest possible maternity care. To do that, we must listen to women and families, learn from moments where care has fallen short, and support our staff to make meaningful improvements.'

Dr Heeps said an internal investigation in 2021-22 led to a number of improvements, including: recruiting 40 additional midwives; increasing theatre capacity for planned caesarean births; and introducing a dedicated telephone triage service, staffed by highly experienced midwives.

‘These changes are making a difference,' Dr Heeps said. ‘Our teams are proud of the progress we've made together and of the positive feedback we receive from families. 

‘But we also know that no improvement can erase the grief families have lived through. We recognise there is always more to do. We welcome the scrutiny brought by Baroness Amos through the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation and we hope that the separate review of individual cases will help provide answers and drive further improvements.'