Chair of NUH board to commit to ‘honest and transparent relationship’ with families affected by maternity failings

The Queen's Medical Centre
By Anna Whittaker, Local Democracy Reporter
The chair of the board at Nottingham University Hospitals is set to publicly commit to an ‘honest and transparent’ relationship with families affected by poor maternity care.
Nick Carver is due to make a statement on behalf of the board at the Annual Public Meeting on Monday, July 10.
Donna Ockenden, who is running a large review into maternity services, will also be present at the meeting.
Bereaved parents Dr Jack and Sarah Hawkins, Gary and Sarah Andrews, Ama and Sharma Maduako, Kim Errington and Natalie Needham will also attend the meeting.
A number of the parents attending the meeting told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We are hopeful that this new honest and transparent relationship with the chair and CEO helps to bring about the vital changes needed in maternity care at the Trust to make it safe for everyone.
“The bereaved and harmed families of Nottinghamshire deserve honest dialogue over the repeated failures of care. We are expecting action, not empty rhetoric, and, for the first time, believe it can happen.”
The trust, which runs the Queen’s Medical Centre, City Hospital and Ropewalk House, said members of the public are invited to the meeting at Nottingham Trent University’s city campus.
The meeting will include an update on the ongoing independent review and how the trust is improving its maternity services.
Originally, Mr Carver was going to make a public apology on behalf of the trust at the meeting – but a number of families suggested that any apology needed to be “meaningful” and at the right time.
Mr Carver said he will “commit to working collaboratively to plan for an apology on behalf of the Board that the families recognise as meaningful”.
Mr Carver added: “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. We agree with the families when they tell us that engagement with them will help us make sustainable improvements to our maternity services.”
Ms Ockenden, added: “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.
“The Trust has made a commitment today to walk a new path, listening to families and acting upon what they are told. The journey can’t be completed overnight. It is a long journey and needs to happen one step at a time.
“As Chair of the Independent Review into Maternity Services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust I want to reiterate what a privilege it is for my team and I to be trusted by so many hundreds of local families.
“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.”
During the rest of the day, leaders will discuss the work of Nottingham Hospitals Charity, which raised more than £4m last year.
There will be a discussion around the plans to redevelop the Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital under the Tomorrow’s NUH programme, which the Government has recently delayed beyond 2030.
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