Call for NHS Leaders to Face Parliament Over Nottingham Maternity Inquiry
Wes Streeting has urged Members of Parliament to exercise their parliamentary powers to summon senior NHS staff who declined to provide evidence to the Nottingham maternity inquiry.
Streeting, the former health secretary, stated that senior staff who refused to engage with the largest maternity scandal in NHS history should be compelled to appear before Parliament.
The review of Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust revealed that hundreds of babies and mothers experienced avoidable harm.
Donna Ockenden, who led the review, reported that 66 former and current senior NUH colleagues were approached for interviews, but only 35 agreed to participate. Streeting described the refusal of others to take part as "an insult" and an act of "cowardice."
Whistleblower Jack Hawkins, whose daughter Harriet was stillborn, acknowledged understanding Streeting's sentiment but questioned whether Parliament was the appropriate venue for further inquiries.
Streeting, who resigned as health secretary in May, advocates for those who declined to give evidence to Ockenden's inquiry to be summoned before the health and social care select committee.
In a letter addressed to committee chair MP Layla Moran, seen by the BBC, Streeting wrote:
"Their cowardice is an insult to the Nottingham families.
Having sat and listened to those parents recount their harrowing experiences, of harm and bereavement, I find it simply unconscionable that people who worked for the NHS would deny them an honest account of what went wrong and why.
This is indicative of a cover-up culture in the NHS that must be brought to an end. I am writing to ask you to use your powers as chair of the health and social care select committee to summon those who refused to give evidence to Donna Ockenden to explain their actions before Parliament.
If the threat of being held in contempt of Parliament is necessary to force those in positions of power to be accountable, then so be it."
According to the Institute for Government think tank, select committees have the authority to compel witnesses within the UK to attend and answer questions.
Details of the Nottingham Maternity Scandal
Approximately 2,500 families and over 800 current and former NUH staff contributed to the review, which commenced in 2022.
When presenting her findings at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Nottingham, Ockenden acknowledged "gaps" in knowledge due to some senior managers declining to participate.
NUH Trust chief executive Anthony May informed the BBC that the senior executives currently employed at NUH had cooperated with the review.
The Ockenden report also concluded that different care might have changed outcomes for 260 babies who died or were harmed.
Harriet Hawkins was stillborn at Nottingham City Hospital in April 2016 after repeated delays in intervention. An external review identified multiple failings, with Ockenden stating the case was "compounded by a systemic cover-up and investigations designed to mislead."
Harriet's father, Jack Hawkins, a consultant doctor who worked for the trust, expressed concerns that summoning leaders before a select committee could interfere with an ongoing police investigation into maternity failings at the trust.
He said:
"Wes, I really hope you have spoken to Nottinghamshire Police, because if you do something that messes up the police investigation, you will have the fury of Nottingham families descend on you.
I think your heart is in the right place, but because you haven't involved us in your discussion, it does make us unsettled by why you're doing this."
Jack Hawkins reiterated his calls for a statutory public inquiry into maternity services, where witnesses would be legally compelled to provide evidence.
He stated:
"These senior NHS leaders - both at NUH and in the regional team - need to be questioned in court by a barrister with witnesses, with evidence.
Otherwise, they are going to come up and say things that don't really advance the argument and the discussion.
We don't know what these people know, why they didn't want to take part in the Ockenden review, and why there are so many dead and harmed families in Nottingham."
Family Experiences and Reactions
Gary and Sarah Andrews lost their daughter Wynter, who died 23 minutes after delivery by Caesarean section on 15 September 2019, following missed warning signs of distress.
An inquest in October 2020 found Wynter might have survived if staff had identified multiple missed opportunities.
Responding to Streeting's letter, Gary Andrews said:
"The word cowardice actually sums it up pretty well - 800 staff came forward, but the leaders didn't."
Sarah Andrews added:
"I think it's good that it's recognised what an insult it is to families who have given our experiences and people couldn't come and answer to their part in that.
Accountability is all that we've been asking for and it is what we need."
They supported Hawkins' call for a statutory public inquiry and emphasized that the police investigation into NUH maternity services should not be compromised.
Government Response and Future Measures
Following Ockenden's review, the government announced new measures to enhance accountability, including compelling NHS staff—past and present—who refuse to engage with maternity reviews to provide evidence or face up to two years in prison.
The Department of Health and Social Care stated:
"These measures are designed to tackle a culture of silence exposed by the Nottingham review, where over 800 staff gave evidence - but many described a culture of being silenced by senior clinicians and hospital bosses when raising concerns around patient safety."
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