Senior midwife and leading maternity investigator Donna Ockenden has been formally appointed to chair the independent review into maternity and neonatal services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT).
The announcement, made on 10th March 2026, marks a significant government decision following direct conversations with the Secretary of State and reflects families’ own requests. The appointment represents a major victory for bereaved families affected by repeated failures in maternity care at LTHT and ends months of uncertainty and campaigning.
Why Donna Ockenden Was the Families' First Choice
The Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, called Donna Ockenden “an outstanding advocate for families whose voices haven’t always been heard”, acknowledging why bereaved families insisted from the outset that only she could command the trust and legitimacy needed for this crucial review.
Ockenden is widely regarded as one of the UK’s most experienced and trusted maternity safety investigators. She previously led the major review into the Shrewsbury and Telford maternity scandal and is currently chairing the Nottingham maternity review; the largest maternity investigation in NHS history, examining the care of more than 2,400 families and around 2,500 cases.
Her appointment to lead the Leeds review comes after what families described as a “long, drawn-out, and emotionally draining process.” The government ultimately reversed its earlier decision following a meeting between campaigners and Streeting on 23 February that lasted close to four hours.
The Crisis at LTHT Maternity Services
The independent review was originally ordered in October 2025, after alarming findings revealed the scale of failures at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
A BBC investigation in January suggested that between 2019 and 2024, at least 56 babies and two mothers died at LTHT, with many deaths believed to have been preventable. Concerns centred on care at Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s University Hospital, both part of LTHT NHS—one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe.
The investigation highlighted repeated LTHT maternity care failures, unacceptable responses from the trust, and longstanding safety concerns raised by families and staff.
Despite being one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust remains an outlier on perinatal mortality according to MBRRACE-UK data. Official statistics show the trust had the highest extended perinatal mortality rate in England in 2021, 2022, and 2023— the most recent years for which data is available.
The trust has been rated “red” — where death rates are at least 5% higher than average when compared with similar trusts — for each of the seven years the data have been collected.
In June 2025, the Care Quality Commission rated LTHT’s maternity services as “inadequate”; the lowest rating possible.
What the LTHT Independent Review Will Examine
The review will focus on identifying areas of concern within maternity and neonatal care at the Trust, with recommended actions to help improve the safety, quality, and equity of maternity care.
While the Terms of Reference are yet to be agreed, we expect the review to involve case reviews of stillbirths, neonatal deaths and serious incidents, hypoxic injuries, and maternal deaths over a 15-year timeframe (1 January 2011 – 31 December 2025).
The Leeds LTHT maternity review will examine:
- Deaths and injuries among babies and mothers over approximately 15 years.
- Whether failures were avoidable.
- Systemic issues within LTHT maternity and neonatal care.
- The role of regulators such as the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
- Cultural, operational, and clinical failings that may have contributed to harm.
- Governance, accountability, and how concerns raised by women, families, and staff are handled.
Following the approach taken in Nottingham, cases will be included on an opt-out basis, meaning families who meet the criteria will automatically be included unless they choose otherwise.
Why This Matters for Families Across the UK
The appointment of Donna Ockenden to lead the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust review acknowledges the seriousness of the current challenges within NHS maternity care. Issues that many of the families supported by CL Medilaw have experienced at hospitals across the country.
With Donna Ockenden now confirmed as chair, families in Leeds hope that the long-awaited review will finally deliver the truth about what went wrong at LTHT and accountability for the Trust’s failures.
Support for Families Affected by Birth Injuries in Leeds
CL Medilaw will continue to monitor the progress in the review and support families in this difficult time.
If your family has been affected by the maternity failings at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we know how deeply distressing this experience can be. The impact of substandard maternity care is profound – it can shape your family’s future emotionally, physically and financially.
If you would like to speak with someone in confidence, our birth injury team is here to listen. We offer free, no‑obligation consultations to help you understand your options and the support available.
If you feel we may be able to help your family, please contact us on 0345 2410 154 or enquiries@clmedilaw.co.uk.
To arrange a free case review, just complete our contact form and we’ll get in touch to arrange a conversation.
