A mother has spoken about the lasting impact of maternity care failings that turned what should have been one of the happiest moments of her life, into a traumatic and life-changing experience, following the release of The Independent Maternity Services Review of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (“The Ockenden Report”) on 24 June.
The report, which highlights major failings in maternity care is the largest maternity investigation to date at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, it’s based on a review of 2500 families and more than 830 current and former staff.
Cases like this highlight the significant life changing and debilitating physical and emotional consequences when standards of care fall short.
The mother, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said: “After what should have been the happiest time of our lives, with the arrival of our third child a beautiful little girl in spring 2023, our world was turned upside down. Not only have I been impacted physically with permanent injuries and scarring, but also mentally as well, as my career within the NHS being destroyed. Our entire family life has endured the consequences of the avoidable harm’.
Jordan Higgs, Medical Negligence Associate at Higgs LLP, who is instructed to investigate a medical negligence claim on behalf of the mother, commented on the impact of the failings: “The birth of a child should be a time of joy and celebration for families. Tragically, where there are avoidable failings in care, the impact can be profound and long-lasting.
“My client’s case is a reminder that failures on maternity wards are not just limited to babies, but they can also severely impact mothers in the days, weeks and years following birth, not just immediately.
“My client has shown tremendous courage in speaking about her experience. It is important that lessons are learned from cases such as this, to improve patient safety and to stop this happening again.”
“This report demonstrates what ensues when leadership, governance and culture are not robust: poor practice is not investigated; learning is not integrated; and mothers and babies are failed by an organisation they should be able to rely upon absolutely during a period of acute vulnerability in their lives.”
Ms Ockenden
