The Government has announced that there will be an independent review into maternity and neonatal services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals – chaired by Donna Ockenden.
The Terms of Reference for the independent review led by Ms Ockenden are yet to be agreed; however, the review is expected 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.
In response to this announcement, 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.”
If you are a family with concerns about your current care, please ask to speak to your midwife, or the Matron, Team Leader or Ward Manager for the area you are currently in, or where you are receiving care. If you wish to raise concerns about your care and share any feedback with us, you can also do this by emailing [email protected]
We will keep you updated on this inquiry when further details are available.
FAQs for families using our maternity and neonatal services