Shropshire Star

Shropshire maternity scandal: Deadline coming up for staff to share views with inquiry

The senior midwife who is leading the independent inquiry into maternity care at Shropshire's main hospitals has written to the trust's staff asking them to come forward by the end of the month.

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Donna Ockenden

Maternity expert Donna Ockenden made the request last month for staff to share their experiences as the latest part of the investigation into the care provided at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

The first part of the review – published in December and focusing on 250 cases – revealed shocking failings in the care of women and their babies.

The second part of the review is expected to be published later this year.

Mrs Ockenden has asked for staff, who work or worked at the trust from the year 2000 onwards, to contact the inquiry to outline their experiences.

The deadline is June 30, and Mrs Ockenden has written to maternity staff at the trust, which runs Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal Hospital, to ensure they have the opportunity to make their voices heard.

She said that the contact with staff would be confidential, and was a vital part of learning lessons from what has happened at the trust.

In her letter to staff, Mrs Ockenden writes: "The review team and I continue to work towards the publication of our second report and staff voices play an important part in this review.

"You will recall that we launched the staff voices questionnaire survey a few weeks ago as it is important to us that we capture the experiences of staff who work and have worked at the trust.

Essential

"Understanding how the trust works and what can be learned from the way it works is an essential part of our review.

"We are calling on you as a member of staff, who may have worked in any capacity in maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust between 2000 and the present day to take part in the survey.

"We want to hear from all staff who have worked in maternity services at the trust including doctors, midwives, anaesthetists, obstetricians, nurses, support workers, administrators, theatre staff, portering staff, and managers.

"Even if your role is not mentioned here, we still want to hear from you and you can tell us what your role is when you are completing the survey.

"You can request a link to the survey by emailing staffvoices@donnaockenden.com

"If you would like to speak to a member of the independent maternity review team before you complete the survey, you can do this in confidence by contacting us at staffvoices@donnaockenden.com

"The survey will close on Wednesday 30 June at 5pm."

Following the launch of the Ockenden inquiry by then Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt in 2017, the number of alleged cases of poor care at SaTH being considered has risen massively.

It is looking at 1,862 cases – a steep rise from the original 23 – with the majority of incidents occurring between the years 2000 to 2019.

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