Bereaved parents from Nottingham meet with Health Secretary to discuss failures in maternity care
The parents of baby Harriet Hawkins who met with Health Secretary Wes Streeting on a virtual call say the meeting "went well" and that the conversation was a "really useful dialogue".
Jack and Sarah Hawkins were one of the first families to raise concerns about the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust after they lost their daughter Harriet during labour in April 2016.
Jack Hawkins said, "It was really assuring to see how aware the Health Secretary was of all the problems and his desire to not pretend that he knows all the answers."
Sarah said that after asking him, the Health Secretary committed to coming to meet the family in person in Nottingham and other families next year.
The Hawkins say this was the main aim of the virtual meeting with Wes Streeting.
The couple also say the Health Secretary said he would contact them directly to organise the details of his planned visit.
Jack and Sarah Hawkins joined other parents who have been affected by maternity care failings.
It's the first time they have met with a senior health minister since 2021.
“cover-up after cover-up”
Mr and Mrs Hawkins, who were employed by the Trust as a consultant in acute medicine and as a senior physiotherapist respectively when Harriet was born, said there was “cover-up after cover-up” of their concerns, but they later heard from several other families who had endured similar experiences.
The couple would like to see an public inquiry into England's maternity services.
What happened to Harriet?
Harriet was stillborn at Nottingham City Hospital following a six-day labour.
An internal investigation found no fault by the NUH but an independent external review found thirteen significant individual failings in Harriet’s care, with the Trust admitting negligence in 2018 and the couple settling a claim out of court.
Harriet's parents, Sarah and Jack Hawkins, were awarded £2.8 million following a settlement with Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) in 2021.
This came after the trust initially denied wrongdoing, blaming Harriet's death on an infection.
While campaigning for justice over their daughter's death, Sarah and Jack Hawkins sought help from the CQC, which has the power to prosecute trusts over wrongful deaths.
Harriet was then buried in early 2019, having remained in a hospital mortuary since her death three years earlier.
Donna Ockenden, a senior midwife has been looking into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals trust.
The review has been ongoing since September 2022.
Nottinghamshire Police announced a criminal investigation in September 2023 and police have confirmed they recently started to receive information from the team.
The inquiry nears 2,000 cases and they are being looked at by 120 clinical reviewers.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust apologised for the "pain and suffering" bereaved families continue to experience.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The Secretary of State will be meeting with families who have suffered unacceptable failings in maternity and neonatal care, including those involved in the Ockenden Maternity Review.
“We are committed to listening to women and families to learn lessons, improve care and ensure mistakes are not repeated. This government is determined to ensure that all women and their babies receive safe, personalised and compassionate care.”
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