In 2017, independent midwife Donna Ockenden was asked to investigate 23 cases of concern at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust. Since then, hundreds more families have come forward, and the long-awaited report will be published on Wednesday.
A whistleblower who worked at a hospital trust where hundreds of babies died or were left brain-damaged says there was "a climate of fear" among staff who tried to report concerns.
Bernie Bentick was a consultant obstetrician at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust for almost 30 years.
This week, an independent inquiry will reveal the full extent of the failings at the Trust.
It is already recognised as the worst maternity scandal in the history of the NHS.
"In Shrewsbury and Telford there was a climate of fear where staff felt unable to speak up because of risk of victimisation," Mr Bentick said.
"Clearly, when a baby or a mother dies, it's extremely traumatic for everybody concerned.
"Sadly, the mechanisms for trying to prevent recurrence weren't sufficient for a number of factors.
"Resources and the institutionalised bullying and blame culture was a large part of that."
More than 1,800 cases of potentially avoidable harm have been reviewed by the inquiry. Most occurred between 2000 and 2019.
Mr Bentick worked at the Trust until 2020. He said from 2009 onwards, he was raising concerns with managers.
"I believe there were significant issues which promoted risk because of principally understaffing and the culture," he said.
He also...
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