Former health secretary Wes Streeting has urged Parliament to use its investigative powers to force senior NHS staff to account for their refusal to participate in the maternity inquiry at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust. The review, led by Donna Ockenden, discovered that hundreds of mothers and infants suffered preventable harm.
Out of 66 current and former senior staff contacted by the review, 31 declined to be interviewed. Streeting labeled this lack of cooperation as cowardly and offensive to the affected families. He has formally requested that Layla Moran, chair of the health and social care select committee, summon these individuals. Streeting emphasized that if the threat of being held in contempt of Parliament is required to secure accountability and dismantle the NHS cover-up culture, that measure should be employed.
The families involved in the case have expressed mixed reactions. Jack Hawkins, whose daughter Harriet was stillborn, agreed with the frustration but voiced concerns that a parliamentary hearing could potentially interfere with an ongoing police investigation. Hawkins continues to advocate for a formal statutory public inquiry, which would allow for cross-examination by barristers. Other parents, including Gary and Sarah Andrews, support the demand for greater accountability, noting that they find the refusal of some leaders to cooperate deeply insulting.
While the government has already committed to future legislation that could result in imprisonment for staff who refuse to engage in maternity reviews, these families remain focused on seeking justice for past failures without compromising the current legal process.
