Hundreds attend meeting over maternity failings

Donna Ockenden told families the review was now the largest ever of its kind

More than 200 people affected by the review into failings at Nottingham's maternity units attended a meeting in the city on Saturday.

Donna Ockenden, who is leading the independent review into Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), invited the families to an update on the progress of her investigations into almost 2,000 cases.

The inquiry into failings in maternity services in Nottingham is now the biggest maternity investigation in NHS history.

A report is not expected to be published until 2025.

Mrs Ockenden told the meeting: "As of last week we had 1,903 families active within the review.

"I met a small number of Nottingham families for the first time for a chat in July 2022 and I listened to what had happened to them, and my gut feel was this would be a large-scale review on the scale of Shrewsbury.

"Sadly, I was right."

Jack and Sarah Hawkins, whose child died before birth, were among people to speak at the event

Felicity Benyon, a campaigner calling for a public inquiry to follow the Ockenden review, said: "The power of everyone coming together and sharing their experiences is that they know they're not alone, they have someone to talk to.

"Everyone’s experience is a jigsaw piece of the puzzle, and the more people that talk and explain what happened to them, the more of a picture Donna can see with her investigation."

Nottinghamshire Police also attended and addressed families at the start of what is expected to be a lengthy criminal investigation.

Anthony May, NUH chief executive, previously said the trust "must listen to women and families and act on their feedback" to improve services, adding he hopes the review "will give those involved the answers that they deserve".

He said: "I know we have failed too many women and their families, and I acknowledge the pain and suffering they continue to experience as a result."

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