“Hello
Thank you so much for the great deal of care you have taken over the report and for treating us families with care and respect. I really appreciated you letting us know details of the report before it was published.”
Miss P
Testimonials
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“Dear Donna,
Much appreciated.
My best wishes and many thanks for all you do.”
Mr L, Father of A
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“Dear Donna,
Thank you very much for keeping us all informed, and for all the sterling work you and your team have done, and are still doing.
Thank you again for all you have done. If they take it all on board, it should save a great many parents a great deal of grief and sorrow. Let us hope they do.
With very best wishes to you.”
Mrs B
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“Good morning Donna
Firstly may I say..That you absolutely Rock !!
The hard work you and your team are doing is making a huge huge difference.
I never had before now this feeling of calm and reassurance that the Trust were listening and taking note..but now I feel everyone is taking note and listening to you and your findings. Thank you.”
Mrs P
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“Thank you so much Donna for dealing with all of this so well.
Please god let these stories shape a better service to all mums to be in the future.
Being part of the review has felt so powerful and helps in part to heal such awful memories.
Kind Regards”
Mrs F
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‘Thank you for doing all this and keeping us updated, it’s much appreciated.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and stay safe.
Kind regards”
Mrs M
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“Dear Donna
Firstly, thank you. We watched on Friday, I’ve managed to read your report from start to finish without breaking down (Which I couldn’t have done 2 years ago). We also watched the parliament TV you did yesterday.
It finally feels like we are getting somewhere. Bless you”
Mrs S
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“Good Morning,
I just wanted to say a thank you for all the work you have done so far and all that you have yet to do to give us a voice. I have to admit that after the zoom call and reading the report last week, it bought back so many feelings and emotions.”
Mrs C
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“Dear Ms Ockenden,
I would like to say thank you to both you and your team for such a thorough investigation and review.”
Mrs U
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“Dear Donna,
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you have done for us, for Kate and for all the families”
Mr and Mrs SD
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“To Donna & all the team,
Thank you for listening and giving Pippa a voice. Your work will make a huge difference to Maternity Safety across the country”
Mr & Mrs G
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Louise Barnett, Chief Executive at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: “I would like to thank Donna Ockenden for this report but more importantly the families for coming forward.
“As the Chief Executive now and on behalf of the whole Trust, I want to say how very sorry we are for the pain and distress that has been caused to mothers and their families due to poor maternity care at our Trust.
“We commit to implementing all of the actions in this report and I can assure the women and families who use our service that if they raise any concerns about their care they will be listened to and action will be taken.”
“If you are pregnant and have any questions about your current care, please contact your midwife.”
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Minister for Patient Safety and Maternity Nadine Dorries MP said: “My heartfelt sympathies are with every family who has been affected by the shocking failings in Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust’s maternity services.
“I would like to thank Donna Ockenden and her team for their hard work in producing this first report and making these vital recommendations so lessons can be learnt as soon as possible.
“I expect the Trust to act upon the recommendations immediately, and for the wider maternity service right across the country to consider important actions they can take to improve safety for mothers, babies and families.
“This Government is utterly committed to patient safety, eradicating avoidable harms and making the NHS the safest place in the world to give birth. We will work closely with NHS England and Improvement, as well as Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to consider next steps.”
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“It’s such a difficult thing to go through, even all this time on for me. I’m so thankful to you all for everything that you are doing.”
Mrs B
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“I thank you again for taking the time out to help me and my family, to bring the full scale of events to account and it means a great deal that you are there for us.”
Mrs S
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I just wanted to say thank you for all that you have done. I’ve heard from several families who’ve contributed to your investigations, and they’ve been unfailingly appreciative of what you have done and are doing.
CEO, Maternity Charity, April 2022
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Well done Donna for getting to the end of this long and difficult road. You now deserve a break! Best wishes.
Consultant Obstetrician
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Just a little note to say an enormous thank you for the hard work you’ve all put into this report, and the work around it.
I truly do think it will make a difference nationally, and we will be right behind you campaigning for it to happen. Thank you for your use of urgent language, and clear direction with what needs to happen – there can be no misinterpretation.
Baby Lifeline
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‘I felt compelled to write. I am the recently appointed lay chair of the Maternity Voices Partnership for XXXXX. There is, rightly so, a renewed focus on listening to service user voices following the publication of your report into maternity services. I felt both saddened and inspired by reading your publication and I feel that we have much to learn, and act on, from it.’
MVP Chair
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‘I have been thinking of you during this …enquiry. You have done an amazing job and will truly bring much needed action to improve maternity care to help women at long last. Take care..’
Midwife G, former NHS Colleague (Twitter, direct message)
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‘I just wanted to touch base after today’s report. I know it must have been harrowing and deeply distressing. I think you’ve done brilliantly and I hope your recommendations are followed. Thank you for all you do for mothers and babies.’
GS, Trustee of Charity, Twitter
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‘Dear Donna,
I am writing on behalf of members, past and present, of the Bereavement Support Team at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust to express our deepest admiration for your well-received “Ockenden Report”.
To have taken on that piece of work must have been very challenging indeed; we noted your ready admission of the pain you experienced personally in that necessary task of listening to the women and their families who had suffered so greatly.
We all recall with great thanks your years at Portsmouth: the encouragement you gave … in exploring the possibilities of establishing a thorough and ambitious training programme. Your enthusiastic backing, plus the very necessary funding, made so much possible – including making available …[external] expertise. The Training Courses eventually grew to include nurses from Gynae, NICU and Ancillary staff working in all areas. There was even a slot in the Divisional Induction Programme for Junior Doctors, which was well-received. We wish you every success in taking your work forward – knowing that you are absolutely the right person for such an important work not only in Shrewsbury but throughout England. You have our hearts with you!’
NHS Chaplain
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Hi Donna, I just wanted to say a huge thank you for the excellent report. Heartbreaking though it is, I think we will finally see real action taken as a result of the work you and your team are doing. And that gives me hope for the future – a good place to end this challenging year. Warmest wishes’
Midwife Colleague NHS
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Donna, how can we ever thank you enough. You have created such an opportunity for positive change. Thank you.
Mr and Mrs S-D, March 2022
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To Donna,
We cannot express our thanks and gratitude in words, but your reports will change the maternity service forever.
Mr and Mrs G, March 2022
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Thank you so much for everything!
Your compassion and kindness throughout the review has made it a lot easier to be patient ourselves.
We admire your strength whilst doing the review, a job we wouldn’t wish on anyone. It can’t have been easy at times.
Thank you again.
Mr and Mrs R, March 2022