Police preparing to launch investigation into maternity care at NHS trust
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Police are preparing to launch an investigation into maternity care at an under-review NHS trust.
Nottinghamshire Police’s Chief Constable Kate Meynell said the decision was taken to prepare the probe after a meeting with midwife Donna Ockenden, who is currently reviewing care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUHT).
Families of babies and mothers affected by the review have “welcomed” the force’s decision to launch an investigation.
In a statement issued on behalf of some of the families affected, they said: “A large number of us have alleged crimes and we will be sharing our evidence with the police to assist them with their investigations.”
Announcing an investigation was being prepared, Ms Meynell said: “We are currently looking at the work being done in Shrewsbury and Telford by West Mercia Police to understand how they conducted their investigation alongside Donna Ockenden’s review and any lessons learnt.
“Now we have met with Donna Ockenden we plan to hold preliminary discussions with some local families in the near future.”
The chief executive of NUHT, Anthony May, who inherited the scandal when he came in to office last September, has “committed to fully cooperate” with the police investigation, the force said.
Ms Ockenden’s review into the failings is examining more than 1,700 cases, with more than 650 staff also coming forward to share concerns in the year since it was launched.
A number of a families have been calling on Nottinghamshire Police to investigate whether laws have been broken.
A statement issued on behalf of affected families said: “There has been poor maternity care as well as poor investigation of that care at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust over many years.
“We anticipate that we will be meeting with the Chief Constable soon to understand what the police investigation will mean for each and every one of us.
“We hope and believe it will encompass not just the care of individuals who have dead and seriously harmed babies and mothers, but also what families allege is a far-reaching cover-up by NUHT and NHS staff.”
On behalf of families being represented by solicitors Irwin Mitchell, medical negligence lawyer Julianne Moore said: “Once again the maternity care that mums and babies have received in Nottingham is in the spotlight.
“The families we represent have either suffered the heartbreak of losing a child or their child has been left with disabilities for which they’ll require life-long care and support. We also represent mums who have been injured.
“Understandably, the families we represent have a number of concerns about what happened not only to them but others.
“All they want is for the most thorough investigations to be held so they can be provided with all of the answers they deserve.
“They welcome the police’s intention to investigate. We’re continuing to support families we represent at this emotional time so they can also access the specialist support and in some cases, life-long care they require.
“In the meantime it’s vital that any criminal investigation is allowed to proceed unimpeded.”
Mr May said he was notified on Thursday about the police investigation.
He said: “From the time of my appointment at NUH, I have expressed my commitment to the Independent Review. I have given the same commitment to the Chief Constable in respect of any police investigation.
“I also reiterate the commitment we made to the families involved at our Annual Public Meeting in July of an honest and transparent relationship with them.
“My colleagues and I work closely with the review team led by Donna Ockenden, to ensure transparent and full engagement.
“This includes meeting regularly with Donna in order to listen and take action on feedback.
“We publish Donna’s feedback on our website, and will soon be publishing our response to the feedback we have received so far. The Trust will also now cooperate fully with any police investigation.”
He added: “In the meantime, we will continue with our maternity improvement programme, which is driving changes in our maternity services.
“These changes include staffing levels, training, compliance with guidelines, record keeping and the provision and use of equipment.
“Recently, the Care Quality Commission inspected our maternity services and informally reported improvements.
“The detailed formal CQC report will be published on September 13, so the public will be able to judge the impact of our improvement work.”
