Parents who lost babies at Nottingham hospitals undergoing Ockenden review meetings
Over the past few weeks, I have been contacted by six new families affected by the scandalous maternity negligence at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUHT). Each story is very difficult to hear.
The Ockenden review into the catastrophic failings is ongoing, alongside the criminal investigation by the police. The latest update recognises that more than 1,900 families were affected, many of whom lost their newborn babies.
The review focuses on maternity units at the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital, run by the Trust. Most of the families involved in the inquiry are at the stage of undergoing review meetings with Donna Ockenden's team. I can only imagine the heartbreak of reliving the grief and heartbreak of what happened to them.
The support forums set up on social media to advise and listen to families affected have been a lifeline to many, struggling to know where to turn as they deal with their grief and learn about the scale of the hospitals' failings.
Many have been advised to seek legal advice to consider a claim against the Trust and the support in this spearheaded by Sarah and Jack Hawkins has been incredible.
In 2016, Sarah and Jack lost their daughter Harriet, who was stillborn at Nottingham City Hospital after Sarah had been in labour for six days. Sarah's baby was delivered almost nine hours after she had died.
The hospital Trust initially found 'no obvious fault' by maternity staff and the Hawkins were told Harriet had died of an infection. Refusing to accept this the parents launched their own investigation and the subsequent external inquiry identified 13 failings in care.
At the time of Harriet's birth, Sarah and Jack both worked for NUH. Not surprisingly, neither has gone back.
The resilience of Sarah and Jack in supporting other parents similarly affected has been astonishing and I am extremely grateful for their trust in recommending some of these parents to me.