Shropshire maternity scandal: Half of actions ordered by damning Ockenden report yet to be completed

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust (SaTH) was told to undertake more than 200 tasks after Donna Ockenden's expert review in March. The report found there were more than 200 deaths of babies and mothers that were avoidable, as well as 106 cases involving cerebral palsy and brain damage where, with better care, there would likely have been a better outcome. Most cases were between 2000 and 2019.

A mother, Sonia Leigh, whose baby daughter Kathryn died due to negligence from the trust, believes there is still "a long way to go", and Ms Ockenden said families need to see "significant progress".

The trust was ordered to improve its care, with a comprehensive list of actions including improvements to managing safety incidents, bereavement care and listening to mothers. Progress will be discussed at Shropshire Council Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting tomorrow.

Eight months on from the publication of the final Ockenden report in March, the trust says it has completed 108 of 210 actions - 44 out of 52 from the interim report in December 2020 and 64 of 148 from the final review.

A report to be presented by SaTH's director of nursing Hayley Flavell and director of midwifery Annemarie Lawrence says: "These reports highlights significant failings at the Trust’s maternity services and the impact this has had, and continues to have, on the families concerned. This must never happen again and the Trust must learn from its failings and address them without delay. The Chief Executive has apologised unreservedly to the families involved and has committed that the Trust will learn from their experiences.

"Improvement work is underway with the aim of ensuring the highest standards of maternity care and rebuilding the confidence and Trust of the community. The Trust must continue to implement actions contained in the first report, along with all new actions from the final report."