A corporate manslaughter investigation has been opened into failings at maternity units in Nottingham, police have said.
Nottinghamshire Police said it was examining whether maternity care provided by the Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS trust had been grossly negligent.
The trust is at the centre of the largest maternity inquiry in the history of the NHS, with about 2,500 cases being examined by independent midwife Donna Ockenden.
The police investigation will centre on two maternity units overseen by the trust, which runs the Queen’s Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital.
In a statement on the force’s website, Det Supt Matthew Croome, from the investigation team, said corporate manslaughter was a “serious criminal offence”.
He said detectives were “looking to see if the overall responsibility lies with the organisation rather than specific individuals”.