Inquiry into maternity service failings will be biggest in NHS history

A probe is set to examine 1,700 cases at hospitals in Nottingham in what could be the UK’s largest-ever maternity scandal.

Senior midwife Donna Ockenden ­is leading the review into stillbirths, neonatal deaths, brain damage ­to babies and harm to mothers at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

NHS England told affected families last week that her investigation is expanding to cover hundreds more cases after a change to the way ­incidents are included.

Affected families will be asked to opt out if they do not want to take part, rather than opt in, following ­concerns that the review was not reaching enough people.

The same approach was used during Ms Ockenden’s review of maternity care at Shrewsbury and Telford Trust and resulted in 95 percent of families being included.

Around 1,700 families who received care in Nottingham over the past decade are now set to have their cases examined. Ms Ockenden and families attended Nottingham University Hospitals’ annual public meeting on Monday.

She told the audience that harm to babies and mothers was often “made worse by having to fight to be heard”.

Ms Ockenden added: “I know there are families struggling to provide 24-hour care for babies who have been left severely brain damaged. I have heard from a mother ­whose baby is so poorly she asks herself regularly, ‘Would it have been better if my baby had passed away?’ There are families who never brought babies home, or babies who did come home but died shortly afterwards.

“I know there are little boys and girls out there in Nottinghamshire without their mummy as we all ­celebrate the end of the school year.”

NUH’s chair Nick Carver committed to an “honest and transparent relationship” with families affected by maternity failings.

He told the meeting: “As the public record shows, this is an area where we have failed the families and communities that we exist to serve. ­To make matters worse, having failed them ­we have too often worsened things ­by not responding to them appropriately.

“Families should not have to fight to get the answers they deserve and we are committed to gaining their trust and the trust of communities.”

The NUHT Family Group said: “We welcome today’s pledge from the trust for a ‘new honest and ­transparent relationship’ with a sense of relief and optimism.

“For too long we have been fighting to be not just heard, but for action and for there to be accountability.

“We deserve to learn who knew what and when, why it was allowed to continue and how the trust avoided scrutiny for so long. We are so relieved our concerns were right and been publicly acknowledged. Yet we are heartbroken with this reality.”

Some families had demanded a public apology from the trust.

This was at a closed meeting in May and Mr Carver had planned to issue an apology on behalf of the trust.

But he said on Monday: “As we ­considered whether today was the time to make our formal apology, some have asked how, with the review ongoing, we can properly know what we are apologising for.

“We will work collaboratively to plan for an apology on behalf of the board at the right time that the families recognise as meaningful.”