Families’ welcome the appointment of Donna Ockenden to lead an independent inquiry at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Ockenden was the only choice of bereaved and harmed families. They have campaigned tirelessly since the independent review was announced five months ago, to appoint Ockenden. Families believed that her review into maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust in 2020 and her current maternity review at Nottingham, meant she was best placed to handle another inquiry into maternity failings.

Inadequate maternity units

A BBC investigation in January 2025 revealed the deaths of at least 56 babies and two mothers at the Leeds Trust over the preceding five years may have been prevented. At that time the maternity units were rated ‘good’  by the body responsible for inspecting NHS hospitals, the Care Quality Commission (CQC). In June 2025, both Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) and St James’s hospital, which are both run by the same trust, were downgraded to ‘inadequate’ after unannounced inspections raised concerns that women and babies were ‘at risk of avoidable harm’.

Wes Streeting first announced the inquiry into the West Yorkshire trust in October 2025, saying it was required to understand what had “gone so catastrophically wrong” at the maternity units at Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s University Hospital. He went on to say days later that Ockenden would not be the chair due to her ongoing other commitments.

An advocate for families whose voices haven’t always been heard

However, following a campaign of pressure by families and MP’s he said he was ‘delighted to appoint someone so trusted by those who have been repeatedly let down by the NHS.’ He added that Ockenden was an ‘outstanding advocate for families whose voices haven’t always been heard’ and that ‘her leadership will bring us closer to lasting change so desperately needed in Leeds’.

Ockenden said the purpose of the review would be to allow families to get “trusted answers that in some cases they’ve waited a very long time for. She said the second purpose of the review was about “improving the safety and quality of maternity services as we go”.

Although the full terms of reference for the review are yet to be agreed, the government said it expected it “to involve case reviews of stillbirths, neonatal deaths and serious injuries, hypoxic injuries and maternal deaths” between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2025. Clinical case reviews are expected to begin in August.

Rachael Flanagan, Head of Medical Negligence at Alsters Kelley said. “We welcome this announcement and hope that the inquiry will listen carefully to families and staff, to understand what has gone wrong, and to ensure that the lessons are learned and the changes required are made, in a timely way, thus ensuring that all mothers, their babies and families receive safe, high-quality perinatal care.”

Rachael continued. “Both myself, and my colleagues, have a huge amount of experience when it comes to birth injuries. Our approach is personal, sensitive, and caring. We understand you may have already suffered harm in the hands of those you put your trust in, which is why we put our clients at the heart of everything we do. With years of experience, we aim to minimise the impact of the clinical negligence claim process and efficiently secure the compensation you may be entitled to.”

 Support and advice

If you have any concerns about the maternity treatment you, or someone you know, has received and would like help or advice, please contact Rachael Flanagan on 01926 356030 or email rachael.flanagan@alsterskelley.com.

We offer a free meeting where we can support and guide you in the right direction. And thanks to our network of offices covering Banbury, Coventry, Leamington, Nuneaton, Stratford-upon-Avon and Southam we are very accessible too.