Force bosses to face MPs over maternity scandal, says Streeting

Image source, Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Image caption, Wes Streeting has called for MPs to use parliamentary powers to summon senior NHS staff who refused to give evidence to the Nottingham maternity inquiry By Michael Buchanan , Social affairs correspondent  and  Anna Whittaker , Nottingham Published 5 minutes ago Senior staff who refused to engage with the largest maternity scandal in NHS history should be hauled before Parliament, former health secretary Wes Streeting has said. The review of Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust found hundreds of babies and mothers suffered avoidable harm. As part of her review, Donna Ockenden said 66 former and current senior NUH colleagues were approached, with only 35 interviewed. Streeting said the "cowardice" of those who had declined to take part was "an insult". Whistleblower Jack Hawkins - whose daughter Harriet was stillborn - said he understood the sentiment, but questioned whether Parliament was the right forum for further inquiries. Streeting, who resigned as health secretary in May , wants anyone who refused to give evidence to Ockenden's inquiry to appear before MPs on the health and social care select committee. In a letter addressed to committee chair MP Layla Moran, which has been seen by the BBC, Streeting said: "Their cowardice is an insult to the Nottingham families. "Having sat and listened to those parents recount their harrowing experiences, of harm and bereavement, I find it simply unconscionable that people who worked for the NHS would deny them an honest account of what went wrong and why. "This is indicative of a cover-up culture in the NHS that must be brought to an end. I am writing to ask you to use your powers as chair of the health and social care select committee to summon those who refused to give evidence to Donna Ockenden to explain their actions before Parliament. "If the threat of being held in contempt of Parliament is necessary to force those in positions of power to be accountable, then so be it." Select committees can compel witnesses within the UK to attend and answer questions, according to the Institute for Government think tank , external . More on the Nottingham maternity scandal Maternity campaigners fear post-Streeting turmoil Published 14 May Baby deaths and toxic culture - the Nottingham maternity report at a glance Published 24 June Bodies found in 'advanced deterioration' at under-fire trust Published 25 June 'From excitement to emptiness': Families affected by largest NHS maternity scandal tell their stories Published 24 June About 2,500 families and more than 800 members of NUH staff - past and present - contributed to the review, which began in 2022. But when presenting the findings of her review at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Nottingham, Ockenden admitted there were "gaps" in knowledge because some senior managers had declined to take part. Trust chief executive Anthony May told the BBC that the senior executives currently working for NUH had eng