Nottingham midwives describe impact of review into maternity services

Midwives at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust have spoken about the impact of a review into maternity care at the trust.

The services are being examined by midwife Donna Ockenden, following a number of baby deaths and injuries at Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen’s Medical Centre.

The review is also calling on more black and Asian mothers to get in touch, after they highlighted concerns.

It comes as it was announced that several affected families would be meeting staff from the trust and NHS England, alongside Ms Ockenden, in a bid to improve patient safety and relations.

Black and Asian families previously told the review that they have a “deepened mistrust” of the service.

Midwives at the trust are working with the review, in particular focusing on bringing in more black and Asian voices, telling the Local Democracy Reporting Service many more white families have come forward to speak to the review team compared to response rates from black and Asian families.

Ms Ockenden wrote to the trust’s chief executive Anthony May, outlining her concerns with the way the trust treats black and Asian women within its maternity services.

In response, the trust said a new task force made up of doctors, midwives, advocates, researchers and black and Asian staff and families, had been set up specifically to address the feedback received.

Michelle Rhodes, chief nurse at the trust, said “Listening to women and families who use our maternity services is crucial to making the improvements that we all want to see.

“We know that more must be done to ensure that the voices of women from all the communities we serve are heard and we welcome the feedback from Donna Ockenden and her team.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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