Donna Ockenden is currently leading the independent review into Nottingham University Hospitals’ maternity services at Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital following significant concerns regarding the quality and safety of care within the Hospital Trust.
The review began in September 2022 and will consider cases from 1 April 2012 to a time anticipated to be four months before the publication of the final report in September 2025 (i.e. up to the end of May 2025). This means that the review will still be able to include up-to-date cases and information in its formal report.
Five categories of cases to be reviewed by the Hospital trust
It has been confirmed that the Hospital Trust will be providing the review team with information on cases in the following 5 categories:
- Term and intrapartum stillbirths
- Neonatal deaths from 24 weeks gestation that occur up to 28 days of life; the review team will also consider neonatal serious incident reports and neonatal never events
- Babies diagnosed with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (Grade 2 & 3) and other significant hypoxic injury
- Maternal death up to 42 days post-partum
- Severe maternal harm to include cases such as all unexpected admission to ITU requiring ventilation, major obstetric hemorrhage e.g. cases where blood loss exceeds 3.5L, peri-partum hysterectomy, and other major surgical procedures arising from the maternity episode, cases of eclampsia and clinically significant cases of pulmonary embolus requiring further treatment
The full details of the Review can be found within the Terms of Reference produced by the Review Board – here
Criminal Investigation into hospital maternity failings
Nottinghamshire police have also confirmed that they will be conducting a parallel criminal investigation into the maternity failings at the Hospital Trust following a meeting with Donna Ockenden.
Although the investigation is not expected to begin before spring 2024, the force is said to be working closely with the Review Team during its current preparatory stages.
Rothera Bray’s Clinical Negligence Team
The announcement of the review and criminal investigation have given cause for great concern however sadly, this is not a matter with which Rothera Bray is unfamiliar.
Rothera Bray have experience in supporting families by seeking accountability for birth injuries suffered by both mother and baby, and we have recently been instructed on a claim involving the Nottingham University Hospitals’ maternity investigation.
If you or your family have made enquiries with, or your case is being investigated by, the Review, you can contact our expert clinical negligence team on 03456 465 465 or email enquiries@rotherabray.co.uk to discuss how we may be able to help and support you.
Affected families who wish to contact the review can do so by emailing nottsreview@donnaockenden.com
