Leading Midwife Alleges NHS Failed to Provide Safe Care for Daughter

A prominent midwife, who has previously spearheaded investigations into care deficiencies within the NHS, has expressed strong criticism of the health service, asserting it “failed” to deliver safe care to her daughter. Donna Ockenden, residing in Sussex, reported that her daughter, Phoebe, who has epilepsy and was experiencing seizures, was left unsupervised in a chair for seven hours after being transported to a hospital by ambulance. Ms. Ockenden previously conducted a review of maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and is currently leading an inquiry into maternity care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Phoebe’s treatment was described as “unacceptable” by the Department of Health and Social Care. Ms. Ockenden stated that Phoebe began experiencing seizures again in October, following a nine-month period without them, which coincided with a change in her medication. This led to three emergency hospital visits. Ms. Ockenden recounted: “During the first two, I was with her and I was her advocate. It was still pretty rubbish.” She continued, “But for the third, I was in Dubai on holiday and woke up to messages about Phoebe being in A&E.” Ms. Ockenden further explained, “Despite her learning disabilities and being known to the service, she was dropped off in the waiting room on her own. She is 20 but she is really vulnerable, and was left in a chair for seven hours still having some seizures.” She concluded, “Initially she was left in the waiting area on her own. It’s just unspeakable, it’s absolutely disgusting and disgraceful.” Additionally, Ms. Ockenden described assisting other patients who had been left on trolleys, including an elderly woman requesting water and drawing staff attention to a confused elderly man attempting to leave the hospital. She voiced her concern, stating: “I’m desperately worried about this winter.” She added, “Because I’m Phoebe’s mum, I am praying fervently that she doesn’t need to go into A&E any more but with her health complexities, we’ll be very lucky if we get through the winter without her needing to go in.” Ms. Ockenden chose not to disclose the name of the hospital involved in her daughter’s care. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care remarked: “Phoebe’s experience is unacceptable and is symptomatic of our broken NHS.” The spokesperson further stated, “The Chancellor has announced a £22.6bn injection into the NHS to get it back on its feet, so it can be there for all of us when we need it, once again.” Donna Ockenden is scheduled for an interview on Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4 at 10:00 GMT on 1 November, which will also be available on BBC Sounds. For updates, follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be sent to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp at 08081 002250. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.