‘Terrified’ of city maternity failings being seen elsewhere
THE shadow health secretary says he is “terrified” that some of Nottingham’s maternity failings could be seen right across the NHS.
Wes Streeting stopped short of backing calls for a Uk-wide public inquiry into maternity services, saying it was more important that recommendations already made were acted upon.
The comments came at King’s Mill Hospital in Sutton yesterday on a visit by Mr Streeting and Labour leader Keir Starmer.
Donna Ockenden is leading the largest review into maternity services in NHS history, with more than 1,800 families involved, over the failings in Nottingham.
Many families affected have called for a wider public inquiry, but Mr Streeting said: “I’d be guided very much by Donna Ockenden on this. I trust her. I trust her advice. I want to see the Government move faster at implementing her recommendations.
“I think the steer that we’re getting is that we need to implement the recommendations that have already been made before looking at whether a wider public inquiry is necessary, which can actually take longer. I think the case for urgent action is now.”
Ms Ockenden previously oversaw a review into maternity services in Shrewsbury and Telford, delivering her final report in 2022. The final report on Nottingham’s services is due next year.
Mr Streeting added: “There are definitely national lessons to learn out of what’s happened in Nottingham. What Donna Ockenden and actually some very courageous whistleblowers have uncovered is incredibly serious.
“What terrifies me is I think that many of the lessons that Donna Ockenden has already identified apply right across the NHS. Labour’s already committed as part of the biggest expansion of NHS staff in history, to train up more midwives, which is part of the problem.
“A lot of these other issues are about culture, about listening to whistleblowers, listening to parents, particularly new mums. There are lots of lessons to learn.”
Police are also running a criminal investigation into Nottingham’s maternity services.