The senior midwife who helped uncover the biggest maternity scandal in the history of the NHS said she would be "very pleased" to carry out a similar review in Nottingham. Donna Ockenden chaired the inquiry that uncovered hundreds of preventable baby deaths at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals.
On Wednesday, April 6 a letter was sent to Health Secretary Sajid Javid by 100 Nottingham families calling for an independent review of Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) maternity services. The families requested the help of Ms Ockenden, who said she was “honoured and touched”.
She has now shared her full response to the families, which says she would be happy to conduct the review "subject to being asked to do so by the appropriate person". Ms Ockenden said that she was feeding back to families in Shrewsbury and Telford until June, but said there was "no reason" terms of reference could not be worked on in the meantime.
Read more: Ockenden 'agrees to investigate Nottingham maternity services' after urgent calls for public inquiry
She added that she would contact key people at NHS England about the situation. The Department for Health and Social Care said it took families' concerns with maternity services at Nottingham hospitals "very seriously" and was closely monitoring the progress made by NUH.
Ms Ockenden's message to the Nottingham families in full:
"As I explained when we spoke I am honoured to be asked to chair your review and very touched that so many families have come together to request my leadership of your review. In our conversation I also said it would be a privilege to lead your review and I would be very pleased to do so.
"When we spoke we discussed that there is a review process already commenced at NUH with a designated lead. You explained on behalf of the families group that you do not have any confidence in the current lead, and as a group of families you have no confidence in the process underway.
"I explained that any decision to change that process could (obviously) not be made by me. You explained to me that so great are the concerns of the family group that you have asked the Secretary of State to intervene and that you have also liaised with your local MPs.
"I explained that I would be very pleased to become chair of your review, subject to being asked to do so by the appropriate person. As you are aware, my team and I have recently published the final report into the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust. We are now in the process of providing feedback to families.
"This process is likely to complete in late June. I know that you understand that for our families in Shropshire it is essential my team and I complete this feedback to the very best of our ability, before I would be able to have a great deal of involvement in your review.
"However (and this would be subject to being appointed as set out above), there would be no reason why any revised terms of reference etc could not be worked upon and approved in between now and the end of June. We agreed that I have a great deal of very relevant experience from the Shrewsbury review and other reviews I have undertaken that would be extremely helpful in Nottingham.
"I hope this response is helpful and captures the content of our phone call. I will wait to hear further from your letter and email but we agreed it is important that I let key people at NHS England know including CNO Ruth May and Dr Aidan Fowler who has been SRO for the Shrewsbury review."
