Parents at the centre of what is believed to be the NHS’ biggest maternity scandal wept at a public meeting into baby deaths in Nottingham. Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is set to issue a formal apology following dozens of baby deaths, stillbirths and 46 cases of babies left brain damaged after mistakes.
The Nottingham inquiry is being led by Donna Ockenden, the midwifery expert whose Shrewsbury report concluded in March failures had led to more than 200 deaths of babies. More than 1,500 families have their cases investigated over a period of 20 years.
Some of them wept at the meeting today as top midwife Ms Ockenden told the audience behind the numbers are mothers and babies who suffered harm - "often avoidable, life-changing harm made worse by having to fight to be heard".
She said: "Today is the start of a journey for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. There needs to be rebuilding of the trust between its maternity services, families who use those services and the many families who we know have been avoidably harmed when using the Trust’s maternity services.
“My promise today is the same promise I made on the first day of the review in September 2022.
“As an independent review team we will do absolutely everything we can to ensure that every voice is heard, that no one is left behind and not heard, and finally that what families tell us will, without a doubt, contribute to making maternity services safer and more inclusive for all families in Nottinghamshire.”
The trust initially planned to publicly apologise to the families involved but those affected said the apology will be more "meaningful" if it comes after recommendations from Ms Ockenden's review are taken into account.
The trust's chief executive, Anthony May, who inherited the scandal when he came into office last September, said it has a "mountain to climb".
He said: "Since I have been in the trust, I have given a commitment to all the families affected by these tragic events that I will listen to them and I'm grateful to the families who have shared their stories with me.
"It has been a humbling and sometimes shocking privilege to be allowed a glimpse inside their pain and anguish. Some of the stories I have heard will undoubtedly stay with me for a very long time but it pales into insignificance to the pain and suffering these families have endured.
"We have to engage with families more consistently and more openly than we have done in the past. There is much that we must do now to improve our services."
Mr May said the trust is still "fully committed" to saying sorry at an appropriate time. He said: "It means something to the families and it is better when you can respond on their terms.
"When we mentioned to them we could apologise today at the annual public meeting, they went away and thought about it and came back and said they would prefer it if we could embark on a new relationship with them so that when there is an apology, which we are still fully committed to, it was meaningful to them and takes into account some of the findings of the independent review.
"That's the journey that we have started and it's great credit to the families who have been super brave and persistent in bringing their views forward. We certainly wouldn't be here today without their efforts."
The chair of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), Nick Carver OBE will publicly acknowledge that more must be done to gain the trust of families and local communities.
Mr Carver said: “For too long we have failed to listen to women and families who have been affected by failings in our maternity services. This ‘brick wall’ has caused additional pain, and this must change.
“Families should not have to fight to get the answers they deserve and we are committed to gaining their trust, and the trust of all our communities by listening and engaging with them.
“Some families, who we have had the chance to meet have told us they want a meaningful apology that they recognise as meeting their needs, including accountability and a change in the culture. We will work with them and other families to make that happen.
“We recognise there will be families who haven't had the chance to come forward yet and we will want their views on how we go about putting things right for them too.”
