Ockenden maternity review: Plea for more parents to get in touch

Donna Ockenden said she appreciated that coming forward could be difficult

The senior midwife leading a review into failings by Nottingham's maternity services has urged more families to come forward.

Donna Ockenden, who led a previous review into Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust, said more than 900 families had spoken to them.

She added that 400 current and former Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust staff had also been in contact.

"I know how difficult it can be to make that first step, she said.

One mother supporting the appeal is Sarah Andrews. Her daughter Wynter died 23 minutes after being born by caesarean section in 2019.

NUH was later prosecuted in court and fined £800,000 over the death.

"I have the confidence that [Ms Ockenden] will ensure that changes are made and no other families will have to go through the heartbreak that we have," she said.

Sarah and Gary Andrews are supporting the renewed appeal

"If you have concerns about what you suffered shouldn't have happened, then you're not alone.

"You should speak out, speak to Donna and help change happen - because that's what we need now."

Ms Ockenden said there were more parents who have concerns but "haven't felt able" to contact them.

An appeal for parents to come forward has also been made in Punjabi, aimed at Nottingham's Sikh community.

Harvir Kaur, from charity Sikh Community and Youth Services, said: "It's very important our community takes part in this review, to voice their experiences and opinions.

Ms Ockenden previously said the review's scope was wider than the UK's biggest maternity scandal at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust

An investigation there found failings led to the deaths of more than 200 babies.

Analysis

By Rob Sissons, BBC East Midlands Today health correspondent

The review into maternity services in Nottingham is now into its fifth month, and is expected to take at least a year and a half.

Although there will eventually be a final report and recommendations to improve safety, Donna Ockenden will feed back to the trust regularly. Recently, she said it needed to improve communication with families.

After the surge of people coming forward to the investigation team, the numbers do seem to have slowed. The latest appeal is to encourage those who have put off coming forward - stressing that they will be supported.

One of the barriers to contacting the review may be that people do not want to revisit their trauma in depth. Ms Ockenden stresses there are different ways people can share their experiences, with levels of involvement and psychological support .

She has also reached out to groups such as the Sikh community, acutely aware that Nottingham is a much more diverse place city than Shrewsbury and Telford, where her last maternity investigation was centred.

Her mission is to ensure that "no voices are left unheard". . Among the objectives is to uncover the depth and scale of what has gone so badly wrong and give families who have felt not listened to a voice.