The new boss of Nottingham's hospitals says that Donna Ockenden's review of maternity services in the city is an "important milestone for women and families" as it officially gets under way. Anthony May announced his departure as the Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire County Council in May, having worked there for more than 18 years with responsibility for a £1.1 billion budget and around 18,000 staff.
He has officially started his new role as the Chief Executive at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) on the same day that the review into its maternity services begins. It was triggered after more than 100 families with experiences of maternity failings wrote to former Health Secretary Sajid Javid demanding action, with an initial review into the matter being scrapped.
NUH's maternity services at Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital are both rated 'inadequate' by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Anthony May has already set out a plan for his first 100 days in his new role, which includes meeting with local MPs and conducting walkabouts of the maternity units.
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Maternity services are one of the priorities which Mr May has set out for his early days at NUH and addressing Donna Ockenden's review, he pledged to work collaboratively with her team. He said: "From the outset of my tenure at NUH, I want to offer my unreserved apologies, on behalf of the trust, for the distress that has been caused due to the failing in our maternity services.
"I am determined to deliver the improvements needed in maternity services, building on the work of our Maternity Improvement Programme. The Independent Maternity Review, led by Donna Ockenden, starts today and is an important milestone for women and families, and for NUH. I would like to welcome Donna and her team to Nottingham and I look forward to working collaboratively with Donna, as part of our wider improvement programme."
Among Mr May's other priorities in his early days with the trust are culture and leadership, recruitment and retention and the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Donna Ockenden, who uncovered 200 avoidable baby deaths at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust earlier this year, said "dozens and dozens of families and many, many staff" had already been in contact after an email was set up last month to encourage and allow people to get in touch.
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