Nottingham maternity staff found to have done wrong being 'dealt with', says hospital boss
The boss of Nottingham's hospitals says maternity staff found to have done wrong have been "dealt with" after concerns over accountability were raised by families. Anthony May, chief executive at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) moved to offer the assurance at the trust's annual public meeting today (Wednesday, September 18).
NUH, which runs the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital, is subject to the largest maternity review in NHS history following hundreds of baby deaths and injuries, with almost 2,000 families' cases being included. Mr May told the meeting, which was attended by families affected by the maternity scandal: “Matters which have been referred to me have been dealt with, they have been processed or are being processed."
Mr May said he was unable to provide any more details on how many staff this referred to and what their seniority was. He said he was not aware of any cases but that it was "entirely possible" staff have faced sanctions. "We’ve got internal processes like any employer, some of them are ongoing and some are complete," he said.
Families wishing to contact the independent review can do so by emailing nottsreview@donnaockenden.com or by filling out an online form here
"A range of outcomes are possible, from people reflecting on their practice and training, or sometimes it can lead to a sanction. It doesn’t necessarily get reported back to me if someone has been sanctioned because it wouldn’t be right for me to interfere in employment processes, but yes it’s entirely possible that they have."
Families raised concerns over a lack of accountability ahead of the meeting. "We cannot fathom how no one has been investigated, sanctioned, disciplined, or dismissed given the experiences we have had and have made clear to NUH," said Jack and Sarah Hawkins, whose baby Harriet died after a catalogue of hospital failings in 2016.
Speaking after the meeting, they said NUH had a "long way to go" but were optimistic about the fact the issue was being discussed. Mrs Hawkins said: I think some of the answers were vague but I'm pleased they're going to add it to the list of commitments. I think it's about justice, and for the maternity services to be safe again."
Mr Hawkins added: "We're talking about people who allowed an unsafe service to continue and covered up how unsafe it was. The big positive for me is it's being talked about, the previous two boards wouldn't have. I think this conversation has changed so much recently we will see the kind of accountability we are expecting."
Natalie Needham, whose son Kouper unexpectedly died at less than a day old in 2019, said: "If they can start holding staff members, board members accountable for what happened for individual families, that will build our trust. It would give me that sense of being listened to and believed.
"For five years I've been made to feel like it didn't happen the way I remember it." Donna Ockenden, who is chairing the independent review, said there was a "much more proactive approach" with regards to accountability by NUH, particularly since the appointment of Dr Manjeet Shehmar as medical director over the summer.
"There is a much greater focus on the duties of a doctor and the way they should behave. I am really satisfied with her proactive approach," said Ms Ockenden. "There is definitely a much more proactive approach than there ever was before."
In the annual public meeting, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, NUH said its maternity services were improving but admitted "we have more to do". The trust, which recently recruited 49 midwives, made a range of commitments such as plans for a “meaningful public apology” upon the publication of the maternity review and the launch of a family liaison service.
Mr May added: “I think the sort of things we put on today demonstrates that first of all we want to listen, we want to be open and engage, and we want to use that as a vehicle to build and restore public confidence."