Bereaved families to meet maternity inquiry chair

Bereaved mothers and families have been invited to meet the chair of an inquiry looking into "repeated failures" at maternity units in Leeds.

Donna Ockenden, who recently led a similar inquiry into failings in Nottingham, will lead a review into maternity and neonatal services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust.

The senior midwife will speak to impacted families in the city on Saturday over their concerns surrounding local midwifery services.

It comes after a BBC investigation found the deaths of at least 56 babies and two mothers over the last five years at LTH Trust may have been prevented.

Last year, then-health secretary Wes Streeting announced the inquiry into the Leeds trust after "repeated failures" over maternity services came to light.

Streeting said a thorough investigation was required to understand what had "gone so catastrophically wrong" at the trust's maternity units at Leeds General Infirmary and St James's University Hospital.

In a statement issued in October, the trust said it was already "taking significant steps to address improvements".

Days later, in a BBC radio interview, Streeting initially ruled out Ockenden as chair of the Leeds review due to her other commitments.

In February, families and MPs urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to "intervene and appoint" her immediately.

A month later, Streeting announced a U-turn and confirmed Ockenden had been selected as chair of the Leeds inquiry.

In June, Ockenden finalised her report into failings at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust - the largest of its kind in NHS history, with 2,500 cases in its final report.

Born in 1966 in Aberdare, South Wales, Ockenden went on to become a nurse and senior midwife - most recently becoming a leading figure in highlighting failings in Britain's maternity services.

Aged 18, Ockenden and her family found themselves homeless and living in bed and breakfast accommodation. For a period of time, she took responsibility for her four younger siblings, aged four to 16.

Alongside her findings in Nottingham, Ockenden is also leading an independent review in Sussex and reviewed failings at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

Ockenden has two daughters, born in 2000 and 2004.

Families have described a "tick box" and "wait and see" culture at the trust, plus a lack of compassionate care.

This has been echoed by whistleblower Lisa Elliott, who worked at the two sites in 2023.

Describing the care as "appalling", she previously highlighted a failure to listen to patients.

"That's when disasters happen, and a lot of them can be avoided," she 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 had been delays admitting Fiona after her waters broke and a delay by midwives to escalate concerns with Aliona's heart rate during labour.

There had been a "number of gross failures of the most basic nature that directly contributed to Aliona's death", an inquest in 2023 found.

Dan said systemic problems at the Trust had gone "unchecked and not looked into for some time".

"The important thing for us is that [those issues] are looked at and they have independent scrutiny and change is made to make sure these failings don't happen again," he added.

He said meeting Ockenden would give families a chance to "help shape the terms of reference and what the inquiry will look like going forward".

Amarjit Kaur and Mandip Singh Matharoo were expecting their first child to arrive in February 2024.

When Kaur was 32 weeks pregnant, she went to Leeds General Infirmary's maternity unit twice within 24 hours with severe abdominal pain.

She said she was told she was experiencing ligament pain in her torso and was sent home each time with paracetamol.

A few days later, Kaur underwent emergency surgery and a massive blood clot was found, exactly where she had described being in pain.

Her daughter, Asees, was stillborn on 6 January 2024.

The couple believe she would have survived if her mother had not been sent home earlier.

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

During her first visit, she said she overheard a white woman being told by midwives that she could "stay as long as you want" because of her pain - but Kaur was sent home.

"The only difference between me and her was the colour of my skin," she previously said. "But I was in so much pain I couldn't move."

Kaur said she had a "quiet optimism that change will happen" through the inquiry.

"We've got real belief [Ockenden] will hold the Trust's feet to the fire, she will make sure change is happening in real time," she added.

Families who have experienced failings in maternity and neonatal care in Leeds have been invited to help shape Ockenden's upcoming review.

A statement from the inquiry team said hearing first-hand accounts at this stage of the review was a "priority".

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

It offers a chance for people to learn about the stages of the review, how they can take part and give evidence and contribute to the development of the study.

Two identical two-hour sessions will be held to provide more flexibility for families, with sessions starting at 10:00 BST and 13:00.

Attendees can stay for the full day, or take part in whichever session suits them best.

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

Charities and support organisations will also be attending to provide information and support throughout the day.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.