NHS Trust chief to publicly apologise to victims of maternity care scandal

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “If anyone has concerns or questions about their care, I encourage them to speak to their midwife or consultant.” Ms Ockenden said that since 1 September, at least 1,266 families have shared care concerns with the review, including Sarah and Gary Andrews, who in January saw the trust fined a record amount in court after the trust admitted criminal charges relating to the death of their daughter, Wynter, 23 minutes after she was born at the city’s Queen’s Medical Centre in September 2019. A total of 663 staff have also made contact, with many requesting to be seen individually, which Ms Ockenden said “speaks volumes” about low levels of trust between staff and their employer. But Ms Ockenden, who previously led a similar review at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust, raised concerns that “the method that we have used to date to reach out across the communities just doesn’t seem to be working”, adding that there were “stark differences” in responses to the review between different ethnic groups. “I would hope that it would put women’s minds at rest that changes are happening as we speak, but ultimately if women want to make a choice to go elsewhere, then that choice is theirs to make.” Clinical reviews began last month, with Ms Ockenden adding that it was “very likely” the review would need to be extended to ensure it was of the “highest standard”.