Families in Leeds are one step closer to an independent review into maternity and neonatal care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Senior midwife Donna Ockenden has been appointed to lead the inquiry after repeated concerns about safety at the trust’s maternity units.
Earlier on Tuesday, health and social secretary Wes Streeting spoke with affected families and said the decision to launch the review will help to rebuild trust following a series of failures.
‘Donna Ockenden is an outstanding advocate for families whose voices haven’t always been heard, and I’m delighted to appoint someone so trusted by those who have been repeatedly let down by the NHS,’ Streeting said.
‘To the families in Leeds, I want to say – thank you for your openness during our detailed discussions in recent weeks, and the courage you continue to show in sharing your experiences and advocating for lasting change, so other families do not experience the unimaginable tragedies you have gone through.’
Ms Ockenden previously led a major investigation into maternity care at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust and is currently chairing the review the review into services in Nottingham.
She said: ‘It is an honour to have been asked to chair this review, and I feel a profound sense of responsibility to the parents, babies and healthcare professionals it concerns to ensure that we get this right.
‘This review must remain firmly focused on the families who, in many instances, have waited far too long for answers to questions about their care.
‘My priority will be to listen carefully to families and staff, to understand what has gone wrong, and to ensure that the lessons are learned and the changes required are made, in a timely way, this ensuring that all mothers, their babies and families receive safe, high-quality perinatal care.’
Work on the review will begin next month, when families will help develop the terms of reference. Individual clinical case reviews are expected to start in August.
The Leeds family maternity group have welcomed the news. They remarked: ‘It has been a long, drawn-out and emotionally draining process to get the assurances that this investigation will be handled with the appropriate methodology and care that it needs.
‘We are grateful that Wes Streeting has listened carefully to all of the evidence we put to him about our concerns and why Donna Ockenden should be appointed as chair.’
The review, announced in October, will examine maternity and neonatal care at the trust over a 15-year period from 2011 to 2025.
Cases could include stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths and serious birth injuries. Families whose cases fall within the scope will automatically be included unless they choose to opt out.
Investigators will also examine how concerns raised by families and staff were handled by the trust. The government said lessons and recommendations would be shared as the review progresses.
To give context, the inquiry was first launched after a BBC investigation revealed at least 56 babies and two mothers lives could have been spared over the five years between 2019 and 2024.
Image: Fallon Michael/UnSplash
In related news:
Leave a Reply