Maternity: Broken Trust examines the ongoing criminal investigation and independent inquiry into alleged failures of maternity care at Nottingham University Hospitals trust (NUHT) that are said to have caused unnecessary deaths of mothers and babies over several years.
The first people we meet are Jack and Sarah Hawkins a doctor and physiotherapist at the hospital where their tragedy would unfold as they put together a timeline for the leader of the inquiry, Donna Ockenden. It covers the six days they spent, as Sarah says, “begging for help” from the maternity department when she went into labour with Harriet, their first child. I think basically she wasn’t allowed in until again in Sarah’s words “something started to hang out of me”.
Harriet was born dead. She would be seven now. Instead of watching her grow up, her parents have spent those years campaigning for this inquiry, and also seeking out other bereaved and harmed families (those whose mothers or children were left with life-changing injuries through alleged neglect) to get further evidence for Ockenden.
I think this has been despite endless obstacles, obfuscation (often involving blaming parents) by the NUHT and denials, mistakes of fact on medical notes (if not outright lies) and incomplete information released to coroners, which sometimes led to inquests being denied because causes of death couldn’t be established. Under the strain, the Hawkins’ marriage broke down though they still seem close and they both lost their jobs at the trust. Not officially whistleblowing-related, obviously; but that is what they believe was behind their otherwise unaccountable sackings.
One bereaved mother found by them is Natalie, who says she was sent home with her new baby even though he hadn’t cried or opened his eyes or moved properly or fed. The staff told her she should be able to cope; he was her fifth child. Cooper died during the night after Natalie performed CPR on him, following instructions from the 999 operator. She was arrested on suspicion of causing his death. Her account of what happened, she says, was disregarded by the coroner in favour of the NUHT’s because Natalie was too traumatised to remember things “in order”. She says every minute is scorched onto her brain.
Sharma and Ama were reported to social services for according to the hospital not wanting their baby, Adoara, to have oxygen; this followed their raising concerns about the ventilator she was on not appearing to work properly. They are a Black couple, and Ama feels race has played its part in why the trust has refused to engage with them properly since Adoara died at four months old.
The tales of individuals are extremely scary, and combined they become a cry of mourning and rage. What the Hawkinses and others have done, is to channelize this power into good, but this only serves to compound their grief as it disrupts whatever was left of the recovery process after the trauma. The documentary is commendable for not letting us drown in absolute misery or horror of suffering; it tells more than one story about accountability among other things.
It does not let go off sight from bigger picture: those powerful enough to shield themselves against any harm or danger from large institutions that are not well monitored regardless of their saintly reputation. A whistleblower gives one shocking account where she says there those were who became suicidal because what they saw made them feel like it’s all over.
Also, it examines how much pain victims go through when there’s no justice for them. Families always talk about being treated as if they were liars or fraudsters by everyone including authorities who seem hell-bent on hiding facts instead sharing them when everything else seems confusing apologies never come neither do people care about past present future tragedies if nothing changes.
There’s some optimism towards end where new leaders have taken over trust while majority members serving on its board were replaced too; whether this move meant damage control rather than genuine desire purge system off incompetence (sometimes appearing too close malevolence considering victims’ accounts) which might be responsible causing such immeasurable sorrow many people we’ll wait see on death registers won’t believe until they see it happen live. Oh! What an awful world!
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