Independent review into Nottingham maternity services gets underway
It's being led by midwife Donna Ockenden.
Last updated 1st Sep 2022
The long awaited independent review into failings at 2 maternity units in Nottingham officially begins today (1st SEPT).
The review comes after years of campaigning by dozens of families, who say their babies died or were seriously injured after mistreatment at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH).
It's thought more than 40 babies were brain damaged and 19 were stillborn in the city between 2010 and 2020.
There is also evidence of poor record keeping and the deaths of babies not being referred to the coroner.
The NHS Trust, which runs the Queen's Medical Centre and the City Hospital, was served a warning notice by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in March, after it again found a number of concerns remained within its maternity department.
The enquiry's being carried out by midwife Donna Ockenden, who's 5 year investigation into the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust found thousands of babies and their mums died or were seriously injured due to 'catastrophic failures'.
Rhiannon Davies' daughter Kate was one of those.
She arrived pale, floppy and cold to the touch, despite being reassured by her midwife that everything was fine.
Rhiannon tells us:
"The midwife on this occasion took Kate from me. She placed her in a cold cot in a side room, sent my husband home, sent me for a bath, and she abandoned Kate, who collapsed and stopped breathing."
After being flown from a midwifery-led unit to a specialist neonatal unit, NHS staff discovered it was too late to save Kate, and she died in her father's arms six hours after being born.
Rhiannon recalled:
"It went from being the happiest moment in my whole existence, to the pit of hell".
Rhiannon and her husband Richard never accepted what happened to Kate and their relentless campaigning led to the publication of a report that uncovered 'catastrophic failings' resulted in the deaths of more than 200 babies, nine mothers and left other children with life-changing injuries including brain damage.
Some of the key findings included:
- A culture at SaTH where mistakes were not investigated and a failure of external scrutiny
- Parents were not listened to when they raised concerns about the care they received
- Where cases were examined, responses were described as lacking "transparency and honesty"
- The trust failed to learn from its mistakes, leading to repeated and almost identical failures
- A culture of bullying, anxiety and fear of speaking out among staff at the trust
- Caesarean sections were discouraged, often leading to poor outcomes.
As boots get on the ground here, Rhiannon's been telling what's to come for families in Nottingham over the next few months:
"It causes you physical harm, emotional harm. It takes a massive toll on you.
"I couldn't have done anything other than continue because every single time we unearthed something else, another lie, another mistake, it just propelled me forwards. But the the toll it takes on you is huge because everything is against you.
"You feel very much like you're on your own. Even though you're not on your own"
In a statement, Michelle Rhodes, Chief Nurse at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said:
“We are deeply sorry for the unimaginable distress that has been caused due to failings in our maternity services.
We know that an apology will never be enough and we owe it to those who have been failed, those we’re caring for today and to our staff to deliver a better maternity service for our communities.
We welcome Donna Ockenden and her team to Nottingham and will work with them to achieve this.”