The move came as the Government extended Martha's Rule to all maternity services with publication of the Ockenden report into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) yesterday.

Michelle Welsh, the Government's first maternity adviser, said the extension of Martha's Rule was a ‘positive step in ensuring the lived experience of women is at the heart of reforming maternity care'.

Martha's Rule, which is named after Martha Mills, who died in 2021 aged 13 after developing sepsis in hospital, is designed to ensure every parent can request a rapid review from an independent medical team if a baby or mother's condition is deteriorating and they are concerned this is not being responded to.

Many staff at the Nottingham review described a culture of being silenced by senior clinicians and hospital bosses when raising concerns around patient safety.

The tough measures from Government are designed to ensure maximum transparency in the reviews in Sussex and Leeds.

Report of incidents in mortuaries are also to be more tightly reviewed following findings of a lack of respect given to dead babies in the NUH inquiry.

The Human Tissue Authority will require all mortuaries to review internal records dating from 2015 to 2026 to ensure all incidents have been logged and reported.

Two men have been arrested at NUH's mortuary services during a police investigation.