Nottingham baby deaths: 'Concerns should have been acted on sooner'

Donna Ockenden found out about plans for a police investigation on Wednesday

A senior midwife leading a review into maternity failings at a hospital trust says families' concerns should have been acted on sooner - after police revealed plans for a criminal inquiry.

Nottinghamshire Police is set to investigate baby deaths and injuries at maternity units in Nottingham.

Review lead Donna Ockenden said "families were not listened to".

The Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust said it would co-operate with the investigation.

Ms Ockenden's team has been looking into failings that led to dozens of babies dying or being injured at Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen's Medical Centre.

The review will become the largest ever carried out in the UK, with about 1,800 families affected.

'Very serious concerns'

She told BBC Radio Four's Today programme that bereaved couple Dr Jack and Sarah Hawkins - whose baby Harriet died in 2016 - revealed documents showing they shared fears of a cover-up seven years ago.

Asked if concerns should have been acted on earlier, she said: "Absolutely.

"On Wednesday the families released to the public copies of letters [from 2016] where they were raising very significant concerns about the safety of maternity services in Nottingham.

"This included letters to the board, to the coroner and the wider NHS system.

"Very, very serious concerns were raised in the months after Harriet died and nothing material was done. They were not listened to."

Jack and Sarah Hawkins said they expected to speak to the chief constable soon

The letters from the couple - who both used to work at the trust - showed concerns were formally raised about the care they received.

They read: "We are not sure what is happening, but are deeply concerned that the plan is for an internal investigation performed by the obstetric team, without our involvement, followed by a meeting with a consultant. This is neither appropriate nor proportionate.

"We need to trust that NUH are conducting an appropriate inquiry. We do not currently believe that you are. Can you re-assure us please?"

Reacting to news of plans for a police investigation, Dr Hawkins said: "We are so pleased because we imagined we would have to fight [the police] to be heard like we have had to do with every other organisation.

"We have been saying for a very long time that there has needed to be police involvement.

"We don't want people to be guilty necessarily, but we do want it to be investigated - to what extent can there be so many baby deaths in this town and nobody held accountable?"

An independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is ongoing

Ms Ockenden said she was confident the police investigation and her own independent review would be able to go ahead without impeding each other.

She added: "I had an in-depth conversation with the chief constable [Kate Meynell] on Wednesday. She has assured me the work of her officers will not impede our progress."

Anthony May, chief executive of the trust, has "expressed commitment" to the independent review and police investigation.

"I also reiterate the commitment we made to the families involved at our annual public meeting in July of an honest and transparent relationship with them," he added.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is due to publish an inspection report for the trust's maternity services on 13 September.

Maternity units at the City Hospital and Queen's Medical Centre have been rated inadequate by the watchdog since 2020.

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