More families join review into Nottingham's maternity services
The number of families involved has climbed to 1,898.
The chair of the Nottingham maternity review says the number of families involved has climbed to 1,898.
Senior midwife Donna Ockenden is looking into maternity care at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), which runs the Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital.
The independent inquiry is thought to be the biggest in NHS history.
The review involves looking at cases of stillbirth, neonatal deaths, brain damage to the baby, harm to mothers or mothers who have died.
Who's involved?
- In February, Ms Ockenden said 1,813 families had joined the review and this has since increased to 1,898.
- A further 412 maternity experiences are being reviewed, while 720 staff members are involved.
- Out of these, 160 staff members have requested meetings.
In a meeting yesterday (Wednesday 24th April), Donna Ockenden told us:
"It's a really large-scale review.
"But what is really important, and I think gets to the heart of the review, is the fact that behind all those numbers, there are families, there are women whose lives have turned out very differently to what they anticipated.
"And so, I hope that what we are doing is providing support, listening, and compassion to anyone who's in contact with us.
"I'm continuing to meet with women, often, in their homes and hearing their accounts of their care, and with their permission, anonymously, I will continue to raise issues as I hear them."
Ms Ockenden says progress has been made, while Chief Executive of NUH, Anthony May, said in February the trust has a “determination to address these issues as quickly as we can”.
"I have every confidence that they're actively working on this and other issues. What I would say, is that I think that there's become an entrenched problem at the Trust with racism and discrimination and lack of equality.
"And so whilst I am really heartened at the inclusion and diversity that the Trust is doing, my view as of today is that they have a long way to go because this has become so embedded in the Trust and, women tell me, in the delivery of maternity services."