'Extremely disappointed' - Chair of Shropshire maternity inquiry speaks of 'two wasted years' in wake of scandal

Donna Ockenden, whose five-year inquiry concluded that hundreds of families were failed by maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), has been visiting some of the families who were affected by the scandal.

She said that for over two years the trust failed to communicate sufficiently with the families who had suffered from its failings, and that the psychological support offered had fallen short of what was expected.

Mrs Ockenden's report, published in March 2022, said there were at least 201 cases where mothers or babies died in the care of the trust when better care could have led to a different outcome.

She criticised the trust for communication with families under previous executive leadership but said families had found communication to be improved since the appointment of an interim chief executive in September last year.

Mrs Ockenden stressed that her remit did not extend to monitoring improvements to maternity services, but one mother had told her there had been a significant improvement.

"The reason I am back here in Shrewsbury, meeting some of the affected and harmed families, is because families were really clear that the trust wasted two years in not communicating with them," she said.

"The trust under the previous leadership let two years go by - there was no contact with harmed and affected families. I think what families have said to me is there has been an improvement in the attitudes of the trust since the interim chief executive took over.

"However, we are still at the stage where families are reporting to me warm words, but not yet the action they would like to see.