Ockenden Report: Criminal investigation into Shropshire maternity scandal 'remains active'

No arrests have been made or charges brought, but the investigation "remains ongoing and very much active", West Mercia Police has said.

It comes after an inquiry, led by maternity expert Donna Ockenden, found that at least 201 babies and nine mothers could have been saved if they had received better care at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust (SaTH) between 2000 and 2019.

Detective Chief Superintendent Damian Barratt, who is leading the criminal investigation, said: "We have been liaising closely with the Ockenden Review and are, of course, aware of the release of the report today.

“Our investigation, named Operation Lincoln, was launched in 2017 to explore whether there is evidence to support a criminal case against the trust or any individuals involved. This investigation remains ongoing and very much active.

“This is a highly complex and very sensitive investigation that has required us to speak to a large number of people to gather as much information as we can. We are also consulting with a number of medical specialists to ensure our investigation is thorough and that the best possible investigation is completed for the families involved.

“No arrests have been made and no charges have been brought, however we are engaging with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as our enquiries continue. We will be fully reviewing the findings of the report and feeding appropriate elements into our investigation.

“We do not underestimate the impact the report’s findings and our ongoing investigation has on the families involved, who have suffered unimaginable trauma and grief that they still live with today. Our thoughts remain with them, and we can reassure the community that when there is an update on our investigation we will share this with the families involved first and foremost and then to the wider public."

The inquiry found that SaTH presided over catastrophic failings for 20 years - and did not learn from its own inadequate investigations - which led to babies being stillborn, dying shortly after birth or being left severely brain damaged.

Some babies suffered skull fractures, broken bones or developed cerebral palsy after traumatic forceps deliveries, while others were starved of oxygen and experienced life-changing brain injuries.

Several mothers were made to have natural births despite the fact they should have been offered a caesarean.

The report examined cases involving 1,486 families, mostly from 2000 to 2019, and reviewed 1,592 clinical incidents.

A review of 498 stillbirths found one in four had "significant or major concerns" over the maternity care given, which, if managed appropriately, might, or would have, resulted in a different outcome. Some 40% of these stillbirths were never investigated by the trust.

There were also "significant or major" concerns over the care given to mothers in two-thirds of cases where the baby had been deprived of oxygen during birth.

Overall, there were also 29 recorded cases where babies suffered severe brain injuries and 65 cases of cerebral palsy.

Nearly a third of neonatal deaths had "significant or major concerns" over care. Yet the trust had only looked at 43% of these.

Overall, 12 deaths of mothers were investigated, none of whom received care in line with best practice at the time. In three-quarters of these cases, care "could have been significantly improved".

Some women were blamed for their own deaths, the report found, while incidents that should have triggered a serious incident investigation were "inappropriately downgraded" by the trust to its own series of "high risk" case reviews, which were "apparently to avoid external scrutiny".

Ms Ockenden's report said this "meant that the true scale of serious incidents within maternity services at the trust went unknown over a long period of time".

SaTH has issued an apology in the wake of the report's publication.

Louise Barnett, chief executive at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust said: "Today's report is deeply distressing, and we offer our wholehearted apologies for the pain and distress caused by our failings as a trust.

"We have a duty to ensure that the care we provide is safe, effective, high quality, and delivered always with the needs and choices of women and families at its heart.

"Thanks to the hard work and commitment of my colleagues, we have delivered all of the actions we were asked to lead on following the first Ockenden report, and we owe it to those families we failed and those we care for today and in the future to continue to make improvements, so we are delivering the best possible care for the communities that we serve."