A message from the Chair of the Review
“Dear Families, It is a huge honour to be appointed as Chair of the Review and to be trusted by so many families with some of the most personal and painful parts of your life. The Review Team is committed to doing all that we can to help improve maternity and neonatal services at the Trust, to improve safety and quality in perinatal care for families and staff, and to provide ongoing support throughout the Review. Thank you for your ongoing engagement and time. Your voices will remain at the heart of the Review and we will continue to act on what you tell us.”
Donna Ockenden
What is an Ockenden Review
Donna Ockenden was appointed as Chair of the Review on Tuesday 10 March 2026. The Review was commissioned to review the treatment provided to women, babies and families in maternity and neonatal services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The Review will identify any failings and recommend actions for improvement.
Donna Ockenden is a nurse and midwife, who has extensive experience chairing reviews into NHS services across the UK. She has previously published two maternity reviews into Shrewsbury and Telford, and Nottingham. Donna leads a large multi-professional team of clinical reviewers across a number of roles including nurses, midwives, obstetricians, anaesthetists, neonatologists and more specialist roles. The Review Team is independent from the Trust.
For more information about what an Ockenden Review is, please watch the videos below.
What to expect next
The Review will continue to engage with families, staff and the local communities. Every 3 months, the Review will hold large family meetings where the Chair of the Review and other organisations, requested by families, will attend. This is to keep families updated and provide an opportunity to meet with one another. The Review will also hold 1-1 meetings with family members to hear about what happened to them. Similar meetings will also be held with current and former staff to hear about their experiences of working at the Trust.
Community engagement meetings will take place across West Yorkshire in community settings, this ensures that the Review builds trust within and across communities and helps in raising awareness. As we are informed about a family’s case, families will be notified of their inclusion in the Review. Families and staff can also write to the Review Team to share their experience.
Experiences can be neutral, negative and/or positive. All perspectives are important and help to shape the Review Team’s understanding of what it was like to work and receive treatment at the Trust. What you tell us is confidential, unless it presents an immediate risk to patient safety.
The Psychological Support Service PAM, can be contacted via email at: counsellingteam@pamwellbeing.co.uk or by calling 0800 098 3790. Or, we can contact them on your behalf – email us at: leedsreview@donnaockenden.com