The remarkable Welsh woman who overcame such trauma to get to the very top of her field

She survived abuse, poverty, and homelessness. She was initially turned down for the career she dreamed of. But nothing could stop Donna Ockenden making it. Abbie Wightwick reports

- Abbie Wightwick reports

ONE of Britain’s most senior and respected healthcare leaders, midwife Donna Ockenden has headed high-profile government reviews into maternity deaths and failings.

An advocate for women and families at some of the most vulnerable times of their lives, she holds the powers that be to account when systems fail.

Her own story is one of being failed by systems and people who should have been there to help.

Born in 1966 and growing up in Aberaman, in the Cynon Valley, Donna was affected by poverty and family breakdown as a child, then abuse and homelessness as a teenager. At times, teachers never noticed or asked what was wrong when her high-achieving dipped.

Rather than being broken by these experiences, Donna organised her own O-level exams when she was taken out of her school abruptly, tried to warn an unheeding mother of abuse by her grandfather, and pursued a stellar career in the NHS and internationally.

Told by the first hospital she applied to she was too low-calibre, she went on to be a leading figure in health and is currently chairing the biggest ever maternity review in Britain.

Telling her story, she stops at times to wonder: “Were there social services in Wales?”

Even the legal system failed to protect her: Donna was shouted at by an “impatient judge” deciding which parent she should stay with.

‘The senior midwife, who initially wanted to study law, says she was tricked into going to Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court by her mother during proceedings to determine if she should stay in Wales or be taken to Ireland with and her new husband.

Raising his voice at Donna, an “impatient” judge demanded to know her preference as her father implored: “Don’t take my children away”

Overwhelmed by the whole experience, the 14-year-old told the court: “I just want everyone to be happy.”