Ms Ockenden previously chaired an independent review into maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital and is currently chairing a similar review at Nottingham University Hospitals.
Brendan Brown, Chief Executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “I am deeply sorry to families whose babies have sadly died or who have been harmed when receiving care in our hospitals.
“We welcome the announcement that a Chair has been appointed to lead the independent review, and we are absolutely committed to working openly, honestly and transparently with Donna Ockenden and the review team, and with families who have used our services. We hope this announcement will give reassurance to families that the review can now move forward and provide the answers they deserve.
“I would also like to reassure families in Leeds who will be using our services currently, that significant improvements are already underway in our maternity and neonatal services, following reviews by the Care Quality Commission and NHS England.
“We know there is more to do, and we will continue to improve our services as we strive to ensure that every family receives safe, compassionate, inclusive, and high-quality care.”
The Terms of Reference for the independent review led by Ms Ockenden are yet to be agreed; however, we expect the review to involve case reviews of stillbirths, neonatal deaths and serious incidents, hypoxic injuries and maternal deaths over a 15-year timeframe, from 1 Jan 2011 to 31 Dec 2025.
Find out more about the improvements we are making to maternity and neonatal services here: How we are improving your maternity and neonatal services – Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust