The Chair of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is set to publicly commit to a new relationship with families who have been affected by the trust's maternity failings. This new relationship will focus on honesty and transparency.
Nick Carver will acknowledge more must be done to gain the trust of families and local communities during NUH’s Annual Public Meeting on Monday, July 10. He will also commit to working collaboratively to plan for a meaningful apology on behalf of the board.
Mr Carver said: “For too long we have failed to listen to women and families who have been affected by failings in our maternity services. This ‘brick wall’ has caused additional pain, and this must change.
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Families should not have to fight to get the answers they deserve and we are committed to gaining their trust, and the trust of all our communities by listening and engaging with them."
"This ‘brick wall’ has caused additional pain, and this must change. Families should not have to fight to get the answers they deserve and we are committed to gaining their trust, and the trust of all our communities by listening and engaging with them."
He continued: "Some families, who we have had the chance to meet have told us they want a meaningful apology that they recognise as meeting their needs, including accountability and a change in the culture. We will work with them and other families to make that happen.
“We recognise there will be families who haven't had the chance to come forward yet and we will want their views on how we go about putting things right for them too. We agree with the families when they tell us that engagement with them will help us make sustainable improvements to our maternity services.”
During next week's meeting, there will also be an update from Donna Ockenden, Chair of the Independent Review into Maternity Services at NUH. In September 2022, Donna and her team began their review, and have shared their initial key findings with the Trust to help support the continuous learning and improvement of maternity care.
Ms Ockenden said: “Today is the start of a journey for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. There needs to be rebuilding of the trust between its maternity services, families who use those services and the many families who we know have been avoidably harmed when using the Trust’s maternity services.
“The Trust has made a commitment today to walk a new path, listening to families and acting upon what they are told. The journey can’t be completed overnight. It is a long journey and needs to happen one step at a time."
She continued: "As Chair of the Independent Review into Maternity Services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust I want to reiterate what a privilege it is for my team and I to be trusted by so many hundreds of local families.
“My promise today is the same promise I made on the first day of the review in September 2022: as an independent review team we will do absolutely everything we can to ensure that every voice is heard, that no one is left behind and not heard, and finally that what families tell us will, without a doubt, contribute to making maternity services safer and more inclusive for all families in Nottinghamshire.”
