Donna Ockenden to lead maternity investigation in Leeds

After months of campaigning, families affected by maternity failings at two NHS hospitals in Leeds have seen Donna Ockenden appointed to lead an independent investigation into Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. It will be her third investigation into NHS maternity failings in just 10 years.

Five months ago, Health Secretary Wes Streeting ordered an independent review into maternity care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s Hospital.

Evidence suggested that there were serious problems in maternity services at the two hospitals, including potentially avoidable deaths and poor care. Investigations found that at least 56 babies and 2 mothers died between 2019 and 2024 where care may have been inadequate or preventable.

NHS inspectors also received concerns from staff, patients and whistleblowers about safety, culture and staffing levels, and the regulator downgraded the maternity services at both hospitals to “inadequate” because of safety risks and management problems.

Families of those affected have been campaigning to have maternity investigation expert Donna Ockenden appointed to lead the review team since the order was made by the UK government.

Who is Donna Ockenden?

Donna Ockenden is an experienced and respected British midwife who has held several senior NHS leadership roles over her 30 year career. In the last 10 years, she has led two major maternity failings investigations at NHS Trusts.

In 2016, she was appointed by the government to review maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, following concerns about mother and baby safeguarding.

The Shrewsbury and Telford maternity investigation (often called the Ockenden Review) examined maternity care at two hospitals run by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust -Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital.

Her final report, known as The Ockenden Report, revealed that a total of 201 babies and nine mothers could have, or would have, survived if the NHS Trust had provided better care. A total of 600 cases of medical negligence were linked with the inquiry and investigated by police.

In 2022, Donna Ockenden was asked to chair another independent maternity services review -this time into maternity failings at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Nottingham City Hospital and Queens Medical Centre.

Nearly 2,000 cases of possible harm to babies and mothers between 2010 and 2020 are still being investigated by Ockenden’s team, making it the UK’s biggest review into maternity services.

She is due to release her findings in June 2026. They look set to feature a shocking catalogue of failings against babies and mothers, casting a further shadow over maternity care in the UK.  

What is the Leeds maternity investigation?

The Leeds investigation will follow the same structure as the Shrewsbury and Telford and Nottingham reviews. Ockenden and her investigation team will speak to families and staff affected and review hundreds of cases of injury and death at the maternity units to find out whether they could have been prevented. Ockenden will then recommend changes to make maternity services safer in the future in her final report.

So far, the experiences of the families in Leeds bear a striking resemblance to the other investigations, with common themes including under-staffing, a lack of training, women not being listened to, a lack of compassion and a culture of cover-ups.

The Geldards team will keep you updated as the Leeds and Nottingham investigations progress – please follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the very latest.

If you or your loved ones have been affected by maternity care failings at any hospital, contact Geldards Medical negligence team to help you to get the answers you need and the compensation you are entitled to.