Midwife, Donna Ockenden, will soon begin an inquiry into multiple failings at the maternity units at Nottingham University Hospitals, including examining how multiple babies were seriously injured or died whilst in the care of the Trust.
There have been hundreds of claims against Nottingham University Hospitals including claims for cerebral palsy, stillbirth, and brain damage with the total amount of damages being more than £110 million.
In 2017, Ms Ockenden lead an inquiry into the maternity units at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust following the UK’s biggest maternity scandal. Ms Ockenden commented on the inquiry into maternity services at Nottingham hospitals:
“As with the Shrewsbury review, this review will assess if cases of concern were adequately investigated by the trust at the time, if the lessons for learning were the appropriate ones and whether the lessons were indeed learned and acted upon”.
The review is set to take place over the next 18 months by a team of around 60 practising NHS maternity experts. The team will work with families around Nottingham and Ms Ockenden has encouraged anyone affected to come forward – whether that be families, current or former staff. Ms Ockenden has explained that she is interested in speaking about any experiences, not just ones where babies have been seriously injured or died.
Families that have been calling for an independent inquiry are also urging others to take part in the review. They have said that the inquiry is a milestone and have praised NHS England for appointing Ms Ockenden following her previous inquiries.
The inquiry follows a warning letter from the Care Quality Commission in 2020 that identified a number of issues and rated the hospital as “inadequate”. A Chief Nurse at Nottingham University Hospitals has said:
“We are deeply sorry for the unimaginable distress that has been caused due to failings in our maternity services. We know that an apology will never be enough and we owe it to those who have failed, those we’re caring for today, and to our staff to deliver a better maternity service for our communities. We welcome Donna Ockenden and her team to Nottingham and will work with them to achieve this”.
Comment
Whilst progress is being made, families that have waited for years for an independent inquiry may be disappointed with the 18-month time scale. However, the promise of “learning points” that will be shared with the Trust during this time will hopefully be the start of improving the maternity wards.
How can we help?
If you or anyone close to you has been affected by the events outlined in this article please get in touch with Carolle White, Legal Director and Chartered Legal Executive in our Medical Negligence team, on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.
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