Health Secretary Wes Streeting has ordered an independent inquiry into the maternity units at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, after reports of repeated failings and potentially avoidable deaths of babies and mothers.
A BBC investigation earlier this year uncovered that at least 56 babies and two mothers might still be alive if care at Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s University Hospital had been better. Streeting said a “thorough investigation” is needed to understand what went “so catastrophically wrong.”
The trust insists it’s already “taking significant steps to address improvements.”
Families who refused to be ignored
The announcement follows campaigning by a group of bereaved families – many of whom met through a Facebook group – who wanted answers after losing babies in Leeds hospitals. An inquest into one of the deaths found “gross failures” that “directly contributed” to the loss.
One of the campaigners predicts that the scale of the inquiry “will be enormous,” stating that “many people don’t even know they’re victims yet and it is going to snowball at an alarming pace.”
What happens next
Streeting said he was “shocked” by the bereaved families’ stories and the “unacceptable response” from the trust. He compared the situation in Leeds to Nottingham, where a major public inquiry is already reviewing 2,500 cases of maternity failures on a national level.
Families are now hoping Donna Ockenden – the senior midwife currently leading the Nottingham review – will head up the Leeds investigation too. They said Ms Ockenden had the trust of families and proven experience in uncovering systemic failings in maternity care.
Earlier this year, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) downgraded both Leeds maternity units from “good” to “inadequate.” Inspectors found women and babies were “at risk of avoidable harm,” and staff were reluctant to raise safety concerns because of a “blame culture.”
Current Chief Executive Brendan Brown has apologised and promised real change, saying the trust is “determined to do better.” Families, understandably, are waiting for proof.
He added that he “would also like to reassure families in Leeds who will be using our services currently, that we are already taking significant steps to address improvements to our maternity and neonatal services, following reviews by the Care Quality Commission and NHS England.”
A long road ahead
The Leeds inquiry will run alongside a national review of maternity and neonatal services led by Baroness Valerie Amos. For the families involved, it’s about more than reports and apologies, it’s about truth, accountability, and making sure this never happens again.
Ally Taft, Head of Clinical Negligence at Medical Accident Group, said:
“The need for another maternity inquiry is heartbreaking and deeply frustrating. Every few months it’s another trust, another set of preventable tragedies, and another round of promises to ‘do better.’ Families deserve real answers and real improvements in care, not just another inquiry gathering dust.”
