Bereaved families demand independent maternity inquiry after 'years of neglect'

Bereaved families who experienced inadequate care are demanding a statutory public inquiry into Leeds's maternity services, citing years of neglect, cover-ups, and systemic failures.

- by Dennis Morton

The Leeds Hospitals (LTHT) Maternity Family Support Group, founded by affected families, met Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Wednesday, renewing calls for an independent inquiry led by Donna Ockenden, known for previous reviews of maternity services in Nottingham and Shrewsbury.

It comes after a damning report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) downgraded the trust to "inadequate" following findings of significant risk to the safety of women and babies at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) and St James's Hospital.

On Monday the Government announced a review into maternity services at 14 NHS trusts in England, following a damning report published for the first time by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), which ranked LHTH 96th out of 134 trusts.

The group, which included Cecilia Deita, Angela Welsh, Fiona Winser-Ramm, Lauren Caulfield, Amarjit Matharoo, Mandip Matharoo, and Damon Green, convened with the Health Secretary in the wake of a letter from Mr Streeting, who initially declined to launch an independent inquiry in Leeds.

However, after hearing harrowing testimonies, Streeting left the meeting "seriously reflecting on his decision," acknowledging that "the problems in Leeds are way beyond what a national maternity investigation will be able to achieve," the group said.

Families shared deeply personal stories of loss, trauma, and a lack of support from Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust.

Mrs Welsh, whose son died in 2011, said: "There was no help, there's no support, there's no counselling, there was nothing offered to me.