Bereaved families will be at the heart of the Leeds maternity inquiry - Wes Streeting
For many parents, the birth of a child is one of life’s most joyful and hopeful moments: precious times filled with anticipation, love and hope for the future. But for some families in Leeds, those moments were shattered by tragedy.
Instead of leaving hospital with healthy babies, they returned home with grief. Instead of celebration, those first terrible hours were filled with anger, confusion and disbelief.
In recent months, I have met mothers, fathers and families who have been through these devastating experiences. I have sat with them as they shared their stories: stories of babies lost, of avoidable injuries, of voices dismissed when concerns were raised.
Their courage in taking unimaginable pain and turning it into campaigning effort, has been extraordinary, profound, and humbling.
No family should endure the loss of a baby. But even more egregious is that, having been failed by the very service that is meant to care for them in their most vulnerable moments, they have then faced denials, obfuscation, and cover up.
It is clear that the events that happened in Leeds were significant and prolonged.
That is why I have appointed Donna Ockenden, a highly respected senior midwife with more than 30 years’ experience in NHS maternity services, to lead this review into what went wrong and why.
Donna Ockenden was Chair of the England Royal College of Midwives between 2006 and 2014, has overseen previous maternity investigations, and is currently leading the Independent Review of Maternity Services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
She has earned the trust of families across the country by demonstrating not only professionalism and rigour, but also deep compassion for the families at the centre of these tragedies.
The families I have met made clear they want someone who will take their experiences seriously. They want someone who will uncover the truth, however uncomfortable.
Someone who will make sure lessons are learned so that no other family suffers as they have suffered. They have been clear that, for them, Donna Ockenden is that person.
This review will examine years of cases, including stillbirths, neonatal deaths and serious injuries. It will look not only at what happened in individual cases, but also at the culture, leadership and accountability within the trust, including whether there were failures of openness and transparency when things went wrong
Crucially, families will be at the heart of this work. Their experiences, their voices and their questions will shape the review from the very beginning, because this process must command their trust and confidence.
I know that for many parents this process will reopen painful memories. But again and again, the families I have met have told me why they are determined to see it through. Because they want change. They want truth. Above all, they want no other mother, father or sibling to endure the same heartbreak.
The NHS is built on a promise: care will be safe, compassionate and there when people need it most. When that promise is broken, when the NHS makes tragic mistakes, we must confront it honestly and fix what went wrong.
The review of care at Leeds is part of this government’s wider commitment to improving maternity care across the country.
The national investigation into maternity and neonatal care, led by Baroness Amos, will help us understand how the issues Leeds families have experienced are reflected in other NHS trusts.
Meanwhile, I will chair a taskforce to develop a national action plan to make our maternity services the safest they can be, based on recommendations from the national investigation. I am determined this process translates into real action, not simply more reports.
Wes Streeting is the Health Secretary.