Former health secretary Wes Streeting is calling for senior staff at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust to be compelled to face Members of Parliament over their failure to cooperate with a major inquiry into maternity failings. The review, led by Donna Ockenden, found that hundreds of mothers and babies suffered avoidable harm.
Streeting, who previously served as health secretary, described the refusal of 66 current and former NUH colleagues to be interviewed by Ockenden as an act of "cowardice" and an "insult" to the families affected. He has written to the chair of the health and social care select committee, MP Layla Moran, requesting that those who declined to give evidence to the inquiry be summoned to appear before MPs.
In his letter, seen by the BBC, Streeting stated that it was "unconscionable" for individuals who worked for the NHS to deny affected families an honest account of what went wrong. He suggested that this lack of cooperation points to a "cover-up culture in the NHS that must be brought to an end." Streeting indicated that if the threat of being held in contempt of Parliament is necessary to ensure accountability, then it should be used.
Select committees in the UK have the authority to compel witnesses to attend and provide testimony. Whistleblower Jack Hawkins, whose daughter Harriet was stillborn, expressed understanding for Streeting's sentiment but questioned whether Parliament was the appropriate forum for further investigations. The Ockenden review, concerning Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, has highlighted significant instances of harm to mothers and infants, with a substantial number of senior staff choosing not to engage with the investigation.