The BBC has reported this week that the review into failings in maternity care in hospitals in Nottingham will be the largest ever carried out in the UK.
The review follows dozens of baby deaths and injuries at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust. Since, an inquiry has been launched, led by Donna Ockenden, who was previously in charge of an investigation into maternity services in Shropshire.
Ms Ockenden said at a recent meeting that the Nottingham review would involve 1,700 families’ cases being examined.
The BBC reports that 1,266 families have contacted the review team so far and 674 of these have given consent to join it to date. Contact was made with families who had experienced stillbirth, neonatal deaths, brain damage to the baby, harm to mothers, or relatives of mothers who died.
The Trust initially wrote to 1,377 families in November 2022 and January 2023, but only 360 families responded. Whilst there are now more families involved, there are still many families not yet involved.
In total, 28% of white women contacted responded, while for black and Asian women, the figures were 10% and 5%.
There is clearly therefore a concern that the review is lacking the true picture across cultural diversity.
Ms Ockenden said:
“As it stands, with our 674 families who have joined the review, I can’t say as the chair we have anywhere near a representative sample of the rich diversity that we know exists in Nottingham. There is significantly more work to do.”
But Ms Ockenden has made calls for a “radical review” to ensure that all women were being contacted and felt confident to come forward and tell their stories. The families had also asked the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, and NUH to change the review to an “opt-out” system, rather than “opt-in”.
This has now been agreed, such that families would need to opt-out of giving their consent to be part of the review.
NUH Chairman, Nick Carver, said that more needed to be done by the Trust to gain the trust of families and communities. He said:
“For too long we have not listened to women and families who have been affected by failings in our maternity services. This brick-wall approach has caused additional pain, and this must change.”
Ms Ockenden took time at the recent meeting to update us on the extension of the review. She said:
“My promise to you as families today is the same as the promise I made to you in September at the start of this review, that as a review team we will do all we can to ensure this review is one for all Nottinghamshire families. Already I can say that I have seen some positive changes in response to family accounts but the Trust has a very long journey ahead. What has happened cannot be fixed overnight.”
The Chief Executive of NUH said that a full apology on behalf of the NUH board would be done on the family’s terms. He said that staff in the maternity services at NUH work incredibly hard and it was the Trust that had let them down. He said: “The signs are there that slowly we are improving, but we have a mountain to climb.”
Comment
What is very clear is that the review is in safe hands with Ms Ockenden, who clearly passionately believes that a full and fair inquiry needs to take place.
It should be the case that all those families affected, no matter their background, feel safe and supported to come forward. Each family has a valid and important story to tell and their experience and input could well help shape this investigation and the recommendations which follow.
Ms Ockenden is right that what has happened cannot possibly be fixed overnight. There is a massive amount of work to do on the Trust’s part. They have failed hundreds of women and families across Nottingham and there is no excuse.
This review is vitally important for so many reasons. To give these families a voice, to ensure that a thorough investigation has taken place, to provide accountability, and to shape the future of maternity care in Nottingham. It is hoped that more families will find the strength to be able to join the review in the coming weeks.
How can Nelsons help?
Danielle Young is a Legal Director in our Medical Negligence team, which has been ranked in tier one by the independently researched publication, The Legal 500.
If you have any questions in relation to the subjects discussed in this article, then please get in touch with Danielle or another member of the team in Derby, Leicester, or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.
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