'families Have Lost Trust Over Maternity Inquiry'

Families grounded by maternity attraction astatine an NHS spot person "lost trust" successful nan wellness caput to oversee an independent inquiry, MPs person said.

Wes Streeting announced an enquiry into "repeated failures" aft a BBC investigation revealed nan deaths of astatine slightest 56 babies and 2 mothers astatine Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTH) complete nan past 5 years whitethorn person been prevented.

MPs person written a missive to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling connected him to intervene and name elder nurse Donna Ockenden to chair nan investigation.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "We are actively moving pinch families successful Leeds to name a chair and work together position of reference for this captious review."

In a connection connected Wednesday, Ockenden said she stood "ready to chair nan reappraisal into Leeds maternity services and tin statesman activity instantly if asked".

Streeting said successful October 2025 a thorough "Nottingham-style" investigation was required to understand what had "gone truthful catastrophically wrong" astatine Leeds' 2 maternity units.

But he subsequently announced publically connected a BBC Radio question and reply that Ockenden would not chair nan enquiry astatine Leeds.

The letter, seen by nan BBC, has been signed by 3 Labour MPs including Fabian Hamilton, Richard Burgon and Michelle Welsh – who is nan chair of nan All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for maternity - arsenic good arsenic nan Conservative MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke and nan independent MP Iqbal Mohamed.

It says Leeds bereaved and harmed families consciousness nan nationalist announcement "is thing little than a complete betrayal of their trust" because families opportunity Streeting had promised he would speak pinch Ockenden, and them first, earlier immoderate news would beryllium made public.

The missive adds it would beryllium "unacceptable" to name a chair who has "an untested and unrefined methodology".

The MPs telephone connected Starmer to "intervene and name Donna Ockenden to caput nan Leeds Maternity Inquiry, pinch contiguous effect".

The missive besides states that "Leeds families person mislaid religion and assurance successful nan Secretary of State for Health's handling of this inquiry".

A transcript of nan missive will beryllium hand-delivered to Downing Street by families later.

They see Fiona Winser-Ramm and Dan Ramm whose girl Aliona died successful January 2020 astatine Leeds General Infirmary.

An inquest recovered "a number of gross failures" that "directly contributed" to her death.

"Families cannot spot this enquiry to an unproven process arsenic it is excessively important to fail, yet we won't get a 2nd chance," Winser-Ramm said.

"When we've met pinch nan caput of state, he is often saying nan correct things to us, but it isn't translating into what is projected for nan enquiry by nan Department of Health."

Another bereaved Leeds parent, Lauren Caulfield, added: "Given nan size and standard of failings astatine Leeds, for this enquiry to beryllium successful it needs personification who understands systematic failures, is trusted by families and unit and is tin of holding a ample NHS spot to account."

Bereaved parents Amarjit Kaur and Mandip Singh Matharoo, whose babe Asees was stillborn connected 6 January 2024, added Streeting had "broken their trust".

"There needs to beryllium an open, honorable enquiry which allows learning to beryllium implemented correct distant arsenic nan enquiry is happening," Kaur said.

"We can't person a chair who lacks acquisition successful this area.

"We request justness for Asees and each those babies harmed aliases not present today."

The BBC's investigation featured grounds from whistleblowers who claimed nan maternity units astatine Leeds General Infirmary and St James's Hospital were unsafe, contempt being rated "good" by nan Care Quality Commission watchdog astatine nan time.

The units were downgraded to "inadequate" successful June 2025.

LTH antecedently said it was "taking important steps to reside improvements".

Ockenden said: "I person made it clear connected aggregate occasions to nan caput of authorities for health, his officials and team, that I guidelines fresh to chair nan reappraisal into Leeds maternity services and tin statesman activity instantly if asked.

"Over galore years, my squad and I person developed some nan robust methodology and nan heavy expertise required to undertake reviews of this standard and complexity."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Every family who has mislaid a babe deserves answers, and we are wished to guarantee they get them.

"No-one should acquisition substandard maternity care, and this authorities will not remainder until women, babies and families get nan attraction they need, successful Leeds and beyond.

"We're taking urgent action to amended maternity services crossed nan state - investing complete £130m to make units safer, rolling retired programmes to trim avoidable encephalon wounded and piloting Martha's Rule successful maternity services."

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You tin scope Divya straight and securely done encrypted messaging app Signal on: +44 7961 390 325, by email astatine divya.talwar@bbc.co.uk, aliases her Instagram account.