Leading midwife, Donna Ockenden, says the maternity review in Nottingham will be investigating more than 1,000 cases amid reports the NHS is facing what could be the biggest maternity scandal to date. Hundreds of families have been identified as having cases relevant to the maternity review, which will be inquiring into services at hospitals in the Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust.
The review comes after reports that dozens of babies had died, were left with serious injuries or brain damage, due to the care they received at Nottingham’s City Hospital and Queen’s Medical Centre. More than 1,000 letters have been sent out by the trust to families asking them to contact the independent inquiry, this is in addition to the hundreds of families that had already contacted the review.
Chair of the maternity review, Donna Ockenden, has more than 30 years' experience across the UK and international health sector. She said: "Our review team has been contacted by over 750 families since the review began.
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"Alongside this, the Trust (NUH) has been working hard reviewing all the records they hold that are relevant to the main categories within our Terms of Reference. On Monday the Trust sent over 1000 letters to families they have identified to date.
"We will not be able to confirm final numbers of families within our review for some time as the Trust continues with its work and we continue liaising with families on a daily basis. This work will continue for the foreseeable future. "
More than 1,500 families are expected to be covered by the review, which would make it the largest maternity scandal in the UK, following the 1,486 families examined during a maternity review also led by Donna Ockenden in Shrewsbury. Additionally, the Shrewsbury review covered cases from over 40 years, from 1973 to 2020, whereas the Nottingham review will investigate cases from 2012 onwards.
A spokesperson for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said: "Alongside Donna Ockenden, we have written to more than 1,000 families identified as having maternity cases potentially relevant to the independent review of our maternity services." These include families who have suffered stillbirths, neonatal deaths from 24 weeks gestation up to 28 days of life, babies diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and another brain injury, maternal deaths up to 42 days post-partum and severe maternal harm.
The spokesperson continued: "Letters will start arriving this week containing information about the review and how people can get involved if they want to. We are committed to making the necessary and sustainable improvements to our maternity services and this is why we will continue to do all we can to support the work of the independent review.
"This includes ensuring that family voices are heard. If anyone has serious or significant concerns about their maternity care, you can contact the review team at nottsreview@donnaockenden.com or call 01243 786 993. We are also reiterating our support for current and former staff who work directly in or closely with our maternity services to speak with the review team if they want to.
"This is a confidential process and staff can share their experiences of working here at staffvoices@donnaockenden.com or by calling 01243 786 993. We know that this is an unsettling time for women and families using our maternity services right now. If you have any concerns about your care or have further questions, we encourage you to speak to your midwife or consultant."
Jack and Sarah Hawkins knew something was "seriously wrong" with the trust following their daughter Harriett Hawkins being stillborn. Regarding this review into Nottingham's maternity services, the pair have said: "We are devasted, yet unsurprised by the numbers of families affected by the failures in maternity care at Nottingham.
"We knew following Harriet’s death in 2016 that there was something seriously wrong at the Trust. Not just because Harriet was allowed to die, but the catalogue of inaccuracies and falsehoods that followed around the circumstances of her death by those in charge.
"Families are anxiously awaiting the outcome of Donna Ockenden’s review, a review that we believe will reveal the truth about the state of maternity services that will bring about accountability and the future safety of babies and mothers. In the meantime, we continue to question how and why things ever got to the stage."
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