Nottingham maternity crisis: Families write to Shropshire review midwife

Donna Ockenden said she was 'deeply touched and honoured' by the letter

The woman who led the inquiry into the UK's biggest maternity scandal said she would be willing to hold a similar position into a probe in Nottingham.

A review into failing maternity units at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) was opened last year.

Families of babies who died have criticised the pace of the review, and have written to Donna Ockenden, who led the inquiry in Shropshire.

She said any decision would be for the government to consider.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it was taking the concerns of families regarding NUH "very seriously".

'Deeply touched'

Last month a report into Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust said more than 200 babies may have died through failures in care over 20 years.

An independent review into NUH began in November last year, but calls have been made to upgrade the investigation to a full public inquiry.

Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust runs both the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital

Ms Ockenden, a senior midwife who led the review into Shropshire, told BBC Radio Shropshire she had been approached by concerned families in Nottingham.

She said she was "deeply touched and honoured" to receive their backing, but said it was not guaranteed she would be able to lead a new review.

"Clearly there would need to be an appointment process - it's not up to me to appoint myself of course," she said.

"I've responded [to the families] and said I'm deeply honoured.

"I would of course take on [and] chair that review, but there is a team in place at the moment, it's not my decision as to whether I take it on.

"I know that the families in Nottingham have said that they've written to the Secretary of State [Sajid Javid], so we can await the next steps."

In a statement a DHSC spokesperson said: "We take the patient safety concerns at Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust's maternity services very seriously.

"The Trust is taking action to improve services but we are closely monitoring progress in improving the standard of care for mothers and babies."