Trust Chief Executive statement on the Independent Review into Maternity Services at Nottingham University Hospital
Anthony May, Chief Executive for Nottingham University Hospitals said:
“Today I have been notified by the Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, Kate Meynell, that she is preparing to launch a Police investigation to work alongside the Independent Review into maternity services at NUH.”
“From the time of my appointment at NUH, I have expressed my commitment to the Independent Review. I have given the same commitment to the Chief Constable in respect of any Police investigation. I also reiterate the commitment we made to the families involved at our Annual Public Meeting in July of an honest and transparent relationship with them.
“My colleagues and I work closely with the review team led by Donna Ockenden, to ensure transparent and full engagement. This includes meeting regularly with Donna in order listen and take action on feedback. We publish Donna’s feedback on our website, and will soon be publishing our response to the feedback we have received so far. The Trust will also now also cooperate fully with any Police investigation.”
“In the meantime, we will continue with our maternity improvement programme, which is driving changes in our maternity services. These changes include staffing levels, training, compliance with guidelines, record keeping and the provision and use of equipment. Recently, the Care Quality Commission inspected our maternity services and informally reported improvements. The detailed formal CQC report will be published on 13 September, so the public will be able to judge the impact of our improvement work.”
Police statement on Donna Ockenden independent review
Chief Constable Kate Meynell said: “On Wednesday I met with Donna Ockenden to discuss her independent review into maternity cases of potentially significant concern at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) and to build up a clearer picture of the work that is taking place.
“We want to work alongside the review but also ensure that we do not hinder its progress.
“However, I am in a position to say we are preparing to launch a police investigation
“I have appointed the Assistant Chief Constable, Rob Griffin to oversee the preparations and the subsequent investigation.
“We are currently looking at the work being done in Shrewsbury and Telford by West Mercia Police to understand how they conducted their investigation alongside Donna Ockenden’s review and any lessons learnt.
“Now we have met with Donna Ockenden we plan to hold preliminary discussions with some local families in the near future.
“Anthony May, Chief Executive of NUH has committed to fully cooperate with this police investigation."