It’s only been several weeks since the publication of the damning Ockenden Report into maternity services at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, but already another NHS Trust have asked Donna Ockenden to take charge of a review into their own maternity services.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, who run both the Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital, is currently undergoing an independent thematic review. The review was commissioned by the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) and NHS England and NHS Improvement, following dozens of babies in their care died, or were left with serious injuries.
But families who have been affected, question the independence of the review, the experience of the team to manage an investigation of this scale and the speed of its progress. They say that to date, “the review so far has been less than impactful, understaffed and moving with the viscosity of treacle” and have called for Donna Ockenden to take charge to ensure the truth is uncovered, so other families can be safeguarded in the future.
Wealth of experience
Families who were questioned, considered that a review by Donna would lead to many more affected families coming forward. Currently there are over 460 involved and numbers are increasing quickly. With Donna’s huge wealth of experience and expertise, it is hoped that the review would ensure real experiences of women and families are heard.
A Care Quality Commission report, published in 2020, rated maternity units at Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen’s Medical Centre as inadequate, highlighting poor management, low staffing, and fears over the standard of care. Following a reinspection in March 2022, the CQC issued a warning notice to the Trust, highlighting concerns over triage services and increases in stillbirths. The current review is expected to be completed on 30 November 2022.
Unravelling the truth
Kiran Jalota, Head of Medical Negligence and Personal Injury, said. “It’s disheartening to hear that maternity services at another NHS Trust are under review. We will continue to monitor the progress of the review and hope that any necessary improvements to maternity services are put in place quickly.”
Kiran continues. “Donna Ockenden is certainly a woman in demand. Her, empathetic, professional, sensitive and ‘common sense’ approach to unravelling the truth and making sensible recommendations for measurable actions that will yield immediate results would certainly help to ensure other families do not experience such devastating feels of loss and anger.”
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