Hundreds of families unaware they are involved in maternity scandal
The IndependentSign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The letter said the review was undertaken in the trust by NHS Improvement and “revealed another 326 cases of potential concern”, adding: “These cases were not known to Donna and the maternity review team prior to mid-May 2019. “The numbers currently known to the maternity review are all those that the trust could provide to the ‘open book’ process and we both acknowledge that these numbers are very unlikely to cover all potential cases of concern.” This review looked at records relating to maternal deaths, stillbirths, neonatal deaths and babies who suffered brain damage since 1998, when the NHS was required to start logging serious incidents formally. The review team is being prevented from doing their job – anyone would think those hampering them have something to hide.” A spokesperson for NHS Improvement said: “Donna Ockenden was asked to review 23 cases and as more people came forward, NHS Improvement undertook an assurance process to identify other cases of potential concern. “NHS Improvement’s national medical director, Professor Steve Powis, is working with families and in agreement with the independent chair who has today written to the trust asking them to hand over all relevant additional records to the review.” Having been contacted by The Independent, NHS Improvement said Ms Ockenden will now begin informing the families identified in the review.