Today, Monday 1 June, the BBC will broadcast a Panorama documentary on maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) ahead of the forthcoming publication of the Independent Maternity Review later this month.
Maternity Failures: The Fight for Justice will be broadcast on BBC One at 8pm on Monday 1 June.
NUH Chief Executive Anthony May has shared a statement ahead of the broadcast:
“The Panorama documentary again highlights the real impact that failings in our maternity services and hospitals have had on affected families. Families who put their trust in us to look after them and their babies. We failed them, and for that I am sincerely sorry.
“I speak with affected families regularly. I see the pain and suffering that we have caused, and I know how relentlessly they have campaigned for change and improvement. It takes strength to share their stories. I am thankful to the many families I have met for offering me the opportunity to better understand what happened to them. I have learned a lot from both the families and the work of Donna Ockenden’s review, and all of this is helping us improve.
“I also know that we let our staff down. They work in a challenging environment every day and under a great deal of scrutiny. I recognise that we must do all we can to support them, and I am committed to that. I am grateful for their dedication and compassion. Like me, they are committed to making changes in our services and to providing the best care possible.
“We have a lot more to do here at NUH, but we will not stop until we get things right. We are learning from our mistakes, improving the safety of our care, listening to our mothers, and talking with our staff. I can see improvements, and I do believe that we now have safer, kinder and better-led maternity services.
“We are now weeks away from the publication of Donna Ockenden’s Independent Maternity Review, which I recognise will be a hugely significant moment for the affected families. The publication will also have an impact on our staff, our communities and those who are currently using our services.
“The work of Donna, her team and our staff has been instrumental in the changes taking place in our maternity services. We have engaged fully in the Review and have benefited from regular feedback from Donna. The work does not stop when the Review is published, and we are planning for robust and independent oversight. This will include representation from both affected families and staff.
“I recognise the need to continue our focus on maternity so that we provide the best possible services for local people and the best environment for our staff.”
