Bereaved families to meet maternity inquiry chair

Bereaved mothers and families have been invited to meet the chair of an inquiry examining “repeated failures” at maternity units in Leeds.

Donna Ockenden recently Launched similar investigation into failures in NottinghamLeeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) will lead a review of maternity and neonatal services at the NHS Trust.

The senior midwife will speak to affected families in the city on Saturday about their concerns about local midwifery services.

It comes after a while BBC investigation reveals that at least 56 babies and two mothers died This may have been prevented in the last five years at LTH Trust.

How did we get here?

Last year, the then health minister Wes Streeting announces investigation It was handed over to the Leeds trust after “repeated failures” with maternity services came to light.

Streeting said a full investigation was needed to understand what “went catastrophically wrong” at the trust’s maternity units at Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s University Hospital.

In a statement released in October, the foundation said it was “taking significant steps toward improvements.”

Days later, in a BBC radio interview, Streeting initially rejected Ockenden as chairman of the Leeds review due to other commitments.

In February, families and MPs called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to “intervene and appoint” him immediately.

A month later Streeting announced his U-turn and confirmed Ockenden had been named as chairman of the Leeds inquiry.

In June Ockenden completed his report into failings at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust; Its final report had 2,500 cases, the largest of its kind in NHS history.

Who is Donna Ockenden?

Born in Aberdare in South Wales in 1966, Ockenden later became a nurse and senior midwife; Most recently, she has become one of the leading figures highlighting the failings in Britain’s maternity services.

18-year-old Ockenden and his family found themselves homeless and living in bed and breakfast accommodation. For a while, he took responsibility for his four younger siblings, aged between 4 and 16.

As well as his findings in Nottingham, Ockenden is also carrying out an independent review in Sussex and is examining failings at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

Ockenden has two daughters, born in 2000 and 2004.

What did grieving families in Leeds say?

Families described a “ticking the box” and “wait and see” culture at the trust, as well as a lack of compassionate care.

This was echoed in 2023 by whistleblower Lisa Elliott, who worked at two facilities.

He has previously highlighted a failure to listen to patients, describing the care as “horrible”.

“That’s when disasters happen, and most of them are preventable,” he said.

Fiona Winser-Ramm and Dan Ramm’s first baby, Aliona Grace, died at Leeds General Infirmary in January 2020, 27 minutes after she was born.

There were delays in Fiona being admitted to hospital after her waters broke, with midwives delaying to raise concerns about Aliona’s heart rate during labour.

An investigation in 2023 found that there had been “a series of major failures of a most fundamental nature that directly contributed to Alona’s death.”

Dan said systemic problems at the Foundation “have not been checked and investigated for some time.”

“The important thing for us is that [those issues] “It is being reviewed and subjected to independent review and changes are being made to ensure these failures do not occur again,” he added.

He said meeting with Ockenden would give the families a chance “to help shape the terms of engagement and what the investigation will look like going forward.”

Amarjit Kaur and Mandip Singh Matharoo They are expecting their first child It will arrive in February 2024.

When Kaur was 32 weeks pregnant, she went to Leeds General Hospital’s maternity ward twice in 24 hours due to severe abdominal pain.

He said that he was told about the ligament pain in his trunk and that he was given paracetamol and sent home each time.

A few days later, Kaur underwent emergency surgery and a large blood clot was found in the exact spot where she said she was in pain.

Daughter Asees was stillborn on January 6, 2024.

The couple believe he would have survived if his mother had not been sent home sooner.

Kaur believes she was treated differently because of her Indian ethnicity.

On her first visit, she said, she heard midwives tell a white woman she could “stay as long as you want” because of her pain, but Kaur was sent home.

“The only difference between him and me was the color of my skin,” he had previously said. “But I was in so much pain I couldn’t move.”

Kaur said she had “quiet optimism that change will happen” through the inquiry.

“We have true faith [Ockenden] “He will hold the foundation’s feet to the fire and ensure that change happens in real time,” he added.

Where and when will the meeting take place?

Families who have experienced maternity and neonatal care failure in Leeds have been invited to help shape Ockenden’s future review.

In the statement made by the investigation team, it was stated that hearing first-hand statements was a “priority” at this stage of the investigation.

The meeting will be held at the Park Plaza Hotel in Leeds and will be chaired by Ockenden and members of the research team.

It offers people the chance to learn about the stages of the review and how they can get involved, provide evidence and contribute to the development of the study.

To provide greater flexibility for families, identical two-hour sessions will be held, with sessions starting at 10am BST and 1pm BST.

Participants can stay full day or attend a session that suits them.

A nursery will also be provided to make the event as accessible as possible for families.

Charities and support organizations will also attend throughout the day to provide information and support.

Listen to the highlights West Yorkshire on BBC Soundsfollow the latest developments New episode of Look North.

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