By Anna Whittaker, Local Democracy Reporter
Bereaved families have again called for Donna Ockenden to take over a review into Nottingham maternity services after the experienced midwife’s office confirmed she is expected to be available from July.
The review into Nottingham University Hospitals Trust’s maternity units, currently rated ‘inadequate’ by inspectors, has faced criticism after some families whose babies have died or been injured at the trust claimed it was moving “with the viscosity of treacle”.
In April, NHS England announced former NHS trust chair Julie Dent would lead the Independent Thematic Review – but she stepped down after less than a fortnight due to “personal reasons”.
Families have long campaigned for senior midwife Donna Ockenden – who led a review into failings at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust’s maternity services – to take over the process in Nottingham.
Representatives from four families met Health Secretary Sajid Javid earlier this month to outline their concerns about what they say is a “perilous and hopeless situation” at the trust, which runs both Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen’s Medical Centre.
But the group of harmed families said in a letter that Mr Javid had “expressed reservations” about Ms Ockenden availability due to “commitments”.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted Donna Ockenden’s office to confirm if a family feedback process at Shrewsbury was going ahead as planned and would still finish by early July, as had previously been stated. Ms Ockenden’s office confirmed this was the case.
Ms Ockenden previously told the Nottingham families that she would be “honoured” to lead the local review.
She added that there “would be no reason why any revised terms of reference could not be worked upon and approved in between now and the end of June” when her work in Shrewsbury completes.
Mrs Ockenden’s review in Shrewsbury found “repeated failures” spanning a period of 20 years.
Now, a new statement on behalf of around 100 affected Nottingham families states: “The families are very happy to hear that Donna Ockenden and her team are on track to finish their review in Shropshire on time.
“That would mean they were free to come to Nottingham in early July. We hope this is as reassuring to Sajid Javid as it is to all of us. It is really only a few days until she will be free to come to Nottingham.
“We have waited for years to get a competent and fair review, please let’s do it right this time.”
The Nottingham review, which is due to conclude in November 2022, has seen almost 600 families come forward to share experiences at the trust.
The review, which started in 2021, does not currently have a chair following Ms Dent’s departure.
An NHS spokesperson said: “The NHS is committed to ensuring that the unacceptable experiences of these families are responded to and fully learned from, and as part of the next steps of the review, we will ensure families are fully engaged in this process.”
A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We take patient safety very seriously and the Secretary of State has met with the families affected to hear and understand their concerns.
“It is crucial the best possible leadership is in place to deliver an independent review that leads to real change.
“We are working with the NHS to take action and ensure no families have to go through the same pain again.”
They added that the health secretary has accepted Donna Ockenden’s recommendations following her work at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and the NHS is considering how to implement them.
