Announcements

Our work assessing maternity care provision by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust concluded with publication of our Report in March 2022 (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/final-report-of-the-ockenden-review).

As of June 2024 we are setting up connections between the Trust and families affected by the Trust’s maternity care provision. The purpose of this is to help the Trust with implementation of the Immediate and Essential Actions (IEAs) and Local Actions for Learning (LAFL) in our Report. If you want to know more about this, or you are interested in becoming involved, please email us at maternityreview@donnaockenden.com

We appreciate that many families may feel they do not wish to be involved, which is of course perfectly fine. If you would like to be involved you can have as little or as much engagement as you wish. This might include meeting with Donna Ockenden and the team with the Trust on an occasional basis and providing feedback to the Trust from a family perspective. Donna is likely to be in Shrewsbury next in early August 2024.

Message from Donna Ockenden – Chair of the Independent maternity review

The Shrewsbury and Telford Maternity Review has now concluded and published its final report. The Chair, Donna Ockenden, and her team thank all the families and stakeholders for their cooperation, support and assistance.

As the review has now concluded the maternity review team will not be in a position to deal with any further communications and enquiries. We are now completely focused on providing feedback to our families who are already within the review. You are invited to read the Final Report, a link to which can be found here, if you would like to know more about the conclusions of the Review.

If you are a patient or a family member of a patient and you have a new enquiry about the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, we encourage you to direct these to sath.maternitycare@nhs.net. Alternatively, if you have a complaint about your care please refer to https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/how-to-complain-to-the-nhs

If you have queries or concerns about any other NHS Trusts or services, please contact the Chief Executive’s Office or the PALS department at the correct Trust.

Unfortunately we are not able to answer queries or deal with concerns outside of the original Terms of Reference of our maternity review. We can now only answer emails and other communications from our group of families that are already part of this review. 

With thanks and best wishes
Donna Ockenden

Covid: Rise in UK infections driven by BA.2 Omicron variant

Covid cases have continued to rise in the UK, with an estimated one in every 20 people infected, figures from the Office for National Statistic suggest. All age groups are affected, including the 75s and over, who are due a spring booster jab to top up protection.

Recent developments and primary care goals for ovarian cancer

For primary care teams, keeping up-to-date with developments and current best practice is the key to expediting ovarian cancer diagnosis, according to Dr Sharon Tate, Head of Primary Care Development, Target Ovarian Cancer (TOC).

Birthing kits to go to Ukraine to help pregnant mothers

Medical kits to help midwives support mothers giving birth are to be sent to Ukraine. The 30 bags have been put together by charity Baby Lifeline, cost about £1,000 each and will be sent out in the next few days, via Poland.

Welsh leader calls for Donna Ockenden to investigate

Families owed apology from Betsi Cadwaladr health board and Welsh Government. Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, refers to the fact that the deaths of two patients have sparked damning reports into the failings of mental health services in north Wales.

Baby died after mother given ‘incorrect advice’ in call to Stoke-on-Trent hospital

A six-month-old baby died after the mother was given the wrong advice, hospital board papers have revealed. The mother called the maternity assessment unit at the Royal Stoke University Hospital seeking medical advice, the hospital trust said.

Shropshire baby deaths: New date for Ockenden report publication

A new date has been set for a much-awaited report into maternity failings at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust. The inquiry, led by Donna Ockenden, is the largest of its kind in the NHS’s history, investigating 1,862 cases.

Covid vaccination – the knowns and unknowns

Many factors influence decisions about vaccine use including many ‘unknowns’ and this raises questions about the wisdom of targeting young people and recommending boosters for everyone, explains Allyson Pollock, Clinical Professor of Public Health, Newcastle University.