Donna Ockenden to lead Leeds maternity review: What this means against the backdrop of the ongoing Nottingham investigation

Donna Ockenden has been appointed to chair the newly launched independent investigation into maternity services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT). This marks a significant and closely watched development for maternity safety in England.

Donna Ockenden is already deeply embedded in maternity safety reform. She is currently leading the extensive review into failures at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), examining hundreds of baby deaths, maternal deaths and cases involving serious injury. Her Nottingham review is assessing over 2,000 families’ cases and has been expanded to include antenatal care following emerging concerns about systemic failings across multiple aspects of maternity provision. 

Given this background, families in Leeds, who have campaigned vigorously for an independent, trusted chair, specifically sought Donna Ockenden’s appointment.

Why this appointment matters

On 10 March 2026, the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that Health Secretary Wes Streeting has appointed Ockenden to chair the Leeds Maternity and Neonatal Independent Review. The decision followed sustained and emotional campaigning by bereaved families whose babies died or were harmed under LTHT care. 

A BBC investigation in early 2025 had already revealed that at least 56 babies and two mothers died over a five year period, many in circumstances that may have been preventable. The formal inquiry was announced in October 2025 and Donna Ockenden has now been appointed. 

The Leeds investigation will examine the deaths and injuries of babies and mothers over the past 15 years across Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s University Hospital.

The fact that Ockenden is simultaneously leading the Nottingham inquiry is crucial. It raises the possibility of cross cutting themes, recurring patterns and national implications for maternity safety. If similar issues arise in both cities, this may underscore the systemic nature of maternity failings across the NHS, potentially shaping national litigation trends and future claims handling.

Donna Ockenden’s appointment to lead the Leeds maternity inquiry represents a decisive moment for affected families and for maternity safety in England more broadly. Her ongoing work in Nottingham has already shed light on widespread, long term failings and the Leeds review will likely reveal whether similar patterns exist across another major NHS trust.