Senior midwife appointed to maternity inquiry

A senior midwife will lead an independent review into maternity services in Sussex, it has been confirmed.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who announced an independent investigation into maternity care at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust last year, said Donna Ockenden would head the inquiry.

Streeting met families who had experienced bereavement and harm, and agreed the inquiry would begin as soon as possible. NHS trust chief executive Dr Andy Heeps said it would work "openly and transparently" with the review team and families.

Ockenden previously led a review into failings at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and is leading reviews of maternity services in Nottingham and Leeds.

Streeting said: "It was really important that we get this review up and running, that it has the confidence of families who've campaigned really hard to get to today, and have suffered, as I've heard on so many occasions now first hand, the most unimaginable, painful trauma."

He said he had heard experiences of bereavement, avoidable loss, harm and disability suffered by women, as well as the experiences of fathers and partners.

Bereaved mother Liz Charlton spoke publicly this week about "maternity failings" which she said had led to the death of her daughter, Hazel, in 2021.

The NHS trust said it could not comment while legal proceedings were ongoing.

Katie Fowler, from the Truth For Our Babies campaign, said it had been "a long, exhausting and deeply emotional fight".

She said: "As a group, we have been calling for this review for two years, all while living with devastating loss and harm caused to us and our babies.

"While the full scope of the review is yet to be agreed, Mr Streeting was receptive to the arguments we made as to why a full inclusive review is needed."

Fowler said families trusted Ockenden "implicitly".

"To have her in the room overseeing the conversations meant we could have full faith in the conversation and in the outcomes," she said.

Last year, Ockenden, a former clinical midwife, said it was "an honour to be trusted by families".

Dr Heeps welcomed the announcement of Ockenden's appointment, adding: "We will do everything we can to support the review and help families get the answers they seek."

He sought to reassure families about current maternity services, adding: "We have made important changes in recent years to strengthen the safety and quality of the care we provide to people now.

"That work never ends, and our staff remain deeply committed to providing safe, compassionate care."

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