Berliner Tageszeitung - Former Nottingham hospital chief linked to NHS training firm

Peter Homa, who led Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust for 11 years before retiring in 2017, has been a director and co-owner of Acorn Leadership Development since 2024. Spending records show Northampton General Hospital paid Acorn £98,250 for maternity-governance training and £28,600 for clinical-placement training in March 2025. University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire paid £45,372 for nursing training in September 2025.

Donna Ockenden's maternity review found that 520 mothers and babies experienced potentially avoidable harm or death at Nottingham hospitals between 2012 and 2025. The review said leadership failures and a culture in which concerns were not addressed contributed to unsafe care. Bereaved families and Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Helen Morgan questioned whether Homa's company should receive public money for leadership work.

The Northampton group said Acorn's programme met required standards. Coventry and Warwickshire said independent evaluation was positive and Homa did not deliver its leadership training, although he attended one unpaid session. Homa has acknowledged that families were failed and apologised, while saying he did not recognise some findings about executive culture. He received £2,000 in Acorn dividends and was reported to have limited daily involvement.

C. Fournier--BTZ