The review into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust maternity services launched this month (September 2022) with a call for families affected to come forward.
Donna Ockenden was appointed in May this year to lead the review having previously led an inquiry into the maternity scandal at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust. It is expected that the Nottingham review will take approximately 18 months.
The move comes after more than 100 families wrote to the then Health Secretary Sajid Javid demanding change. Switalskis Solicitors successfully represented many of these families and whole heartedly stand alongside all families who have sustained a birth injury or lost their baby and all that this review represents.
Families are living with their loss. Babies and parents have injuries, some living with permanent disability. Mothers suffered third and fourth degree tears and parents endured psychiatric injury affecting their lives and their ability to work. These families’ voices will now be heard.
Identification of clinical cases for the review will be based on the ‘Open Book’ approach as used in the review of maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust. The Trust will be providing the review team with a large amount of information including cases in the following 5 categories:
- Term and intrapartum stillbirths
- Neonatal deaths from 24 weeks gestation that occur up to 28 days of life; the review team will also consider neonatal serious incident reports and neonatal never events
- Babies diagnosed with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (Grade 2 & 3) and other significant hypoxic injury
- Maternal death up to 42 days post-partum
- Severe maternal harm to include cases such as all unexpected admission to ITU requiring ventilation, major obstetric haemorrhage e.g. cases where blood loss exceeds 3.5L, peri-partum hysterectomy, and other major surgical procedures arising from the maternity episode, cases of eclampsia and clinically significant cases of pulmonary embolus requiring further treatment
The review team are also working hard to reach all communities in the Nottingham area and stressed that they are interested in all experiences, not just the most traumatic where babies have died or been injured. The review team would like to speak with as many families and current and former staff in maternity services as possible.
No voices should go unheard. We ask all families who have experienced failings in maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and current and former staff to please come forward with your experiences and contact the review team via email: nottsreview@donnaockenden.com
