Medical negligence experts at Switalskis have welcomed a government decision to appoint senior midwife Donna Ockenden to the role of chair for the forthcoming inquiry into maternity care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust – but say the inquiry needs to start urgently for all those families who have been affected by failings in their care.

The announcement by Health Secretary Wes Streeting follows a campaign by families, including our clients Amarjit Kaur and her husband Mandip Singh, for Ms Ockenden to lead the inquiry into failings at the Trust’s maternity units at Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s University Hospital, which the government first announced in October.

Mr Streeting’s decision comes just weeks after families, including Amarjit and Mandip whose daughter Asees was stillborn at Leeds General Infirmary in January 2024, delivered a letter to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street demanding Ms Ockenden’s appointment after her work on the ongoing inquiry into failings in maternity care in Nottingham and said families had lost trust in the Health Secretary.

The inquiry will investigate patient safety and standards of care at both Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s amid concerns that the deaths of as many as 56 babies and two mothers at the Trust’s two hospitals could have been avoided.

Switalskis is supporting a number of families who have suffered the loss of a baby, injury to mothers or brain injury to their child at both Trusts in Leeds and Nottingham.

‘Essential that inquiry begins as soon as possible’: our expert view

Commenting after the Health Secretary confirmed Ms Ockenden’s appointment, Suzanne Munroe , Director and Head of Medical Negligence at Switalskis, said: “This is reassuring news for the families, including our clients, who campaigned for Donna Ockenden to chair the urgently needed inquiry into maternity care at both the Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s.

“Her appointment will help ensure that families can have confidence in the process and it is essential that the inquiry begins its work as soon as possible.

“The birth of a child should be one of the happiest moments in a person’s life, yet each of the families we support has experienced either loss or life-changing injury. These events are profoundly traumatic in every case, but it is even more distressing for families to discover that others have endured similar losses or birth injuries. Every one of these families and children deserves clear answers about what went wrong in their case and why.

“Clearly, improvements are needed urgently. The sooner Ms Ockenden and her team can begin their work, the better for those families and children who have suffered harm and those who may suffer harm and loss until the standard of care improves.”

‘No-one other than Donna’

Amarjit and Mandip, who are being supported by expert solicitors at Switalskis, have been prominent campaigners for improvements in care at the Trust and its maternity units since their tragic loss more than two years ago.

Reacting to the news, Amarjit welcomed the decision but added: “In all honesty, I feel numb from the fight we have had to have to get to this stage. We’ve waited so long for this moment and we all believe it’s been delayed by five months which is very disappointing.

“However, we’ve now got the outcome and justice we wanted so that’s positive. In our view, there was no-one other than Donna who could have taken this role but, as traumatised families, it’s hard to process that we’ve had to fight for something so basic.

“The time this has taken is very hard for us to accept. We know that people are still being harmed at Leeds as we have new mothers, birthing partners and families joining our Facebook group all the time. They’re telling the same stories and that’s hard to listen to but the system has prevented Donna being able to deliver what she can deliver and what we want to see – real improvements in care immediately.

“Every day of delay is another day when someone could be harmed. We need Donna to start her investigations and that can’t come soon enough. This has to move more quickly.

“Donna and all of us as families have to be able to have input on the terms of reference and we need to get this inquiry opened and identifying the improvements that are desperately needed.”

The Care Quality Commission downgraded maternity services at both Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust sites to ‘inadequate’ in June last year.

In a statement announcing the appointment of Ms Ockenden, the health secretary described her as an "outstanding advocate for families whose voices haven't always been heard". He added that "her leadership will bring us closer to lasting change so desperately needed in Leeds".

Contact our specialist maternity negligence team in Leeds

Our expert medical negligence and maternity solicitors are representing dozens of families who have been affected by failures in their care at Leeds, Nottingham and other hospitals.

Whether your experience happened last year or more than a decade ago, you are not excluded from seeking advice or understanding how the inquiry may apply to you.

If you would like to speak confidentially to a member of our team, we are here to help.

Our specialist medical negligence  team has extensive experience in birth injury claims  . We can help you understand what happened, navigate investigations and explore whether you may have a claim.

Get in touch with our specialist team   to discuss your experience in confidence.   Call us on 0808 258 8041 or email help@switalskis.com.