It has been announced this week that the review into failings by Nottingham’s maternity services will consider cases going back at least 10 years.
The review follows multiple findings of failures and dozens of baby deaths and injuries at Nottingham’s two main hospitals. Midwife Donna Ockenden was asked to lead the review.
The terms of the review have now been set out and will include clinical incidents where mothers and/or babies have “suffered severe harm or death”. The terms of the review set out:
“This review has been established in light of significant concerns raised regarding the quality and safety of maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) and concerns of local families….This nationally-commissioned Review will focus on identifying areas of concern within maternity care at NUH and will provide information and recommend actions to help improve the safety and quality of maternity care and the handling of concerns at NUH when they are raised by women and/or their families.”
It will consider bases going back to 1 April 2012 and up to three months before the final report is due to be published, which is expected to be in March 2024.
It has also been set out that ‘exceptional’ cases as far back as 2006 may also be considered if they are likely to add to the review meaningfully.The review will engage with families and current and former staff, as well as stakeholders and regulators. It will look at cases in five different categories:
- Term and intrapartum stillbirths;
- Neonatal deaths;
- Babies diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and related injuries;
- Maternal deaths up to 42 days after giving birth; and
- Severe maternal harm.
Feedback will be provided to families who want it and where the review team believes that better care should have been expected. Cases will then be graded on a scale of 0-3, ranging from appropriate care to major concerns with care.
The Trust will be informed of any learning and recommendations as they become apparent throughout the review. This is to ensure that “rapid action” can follow to improve maternity care.
It has been reported that more than 350 families have already contacted the review team since it began on 1 September.
Ms Ockenden previously led an inquiry into the maternity scandal at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust, and families affected by the issues in Nottingham campaigned for her to be involved in their review.
For the review of Nottingham’s maternity services, Ms Ockenden will head around 60 practising NHS maternity experts from around the country.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has said that it welcomes the review by Ms Ockenden and her team. Michelle Rhodes, Chief Nurse at the 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.”
Families who wish to contact the inquiry team for the Nottingham review should email: nottsreview@donnaockenden.com
Comment
The issues with Nottingham’s maternity services and the numbers of families coming forward continue to be incredibly shocking. So many have suffered due to failings on the part of the Trust and the number of unanswered questions can only add to the distress.
It is therefore absolutely imperative that the review of the failings within Nottingham maternity services is a thorough and independent investigation into what happened. The families affected by this need and deserve answers.
Not only this, but the Trust clearly needs to take urgent action to improve the maternity services in Nottingham. Hopefully, the review findings will go a long way in influencing the future of the service, ensuring the patient safety of all those under their care and yet to come.
Following Ms Ockenden’s work on the Shrewsbury and Telford maternity scandal, it must be reassuring for the families involved in Nottingham to know that she is now leading the way with their investigation, and the confirmation that cases going back at least 10 years will be considered as part of the review will most definitely be welcomed.
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Danielle Young is a Legal Director in our Medical Negligence team, which has been ranked in tier one by the independently researched publication, The Legal 500.
If you have any questions in relation to the subjects discussed in this article, then please get in touch with Danielle or another member of the team in Derby, Leicester, or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.
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