Bereaved mother 'frustrated' at Health Secretary leaving first maternity taskforce meeting early

One of bereaved parents who lost their baby in the Leeds maternity scandal has said it was “quite frustrating” that the new Health Secretary had to leave a meeting with families and experts early.

James Murray, who took over from Wes Streeting last month, has said improving NHS maternity services is a priority for him after he met with the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, in his third day in the role.

He told the BBC: “I think the reform has to be comprehensive … this is not a case of just identifying one or two things we need to do.

“This has to be a comprehensive reform to maternity services, and if I can just say this, in my first few days as Health Secretary I chaired the taskforce which is going to be overseeing our comprehensive plan to improve maternity services, and meeting there some of the families who’ve been affected, whose babies had died, mothers, fathers, horrific, it really struck me.”

However, Lauren Caulfield, who was representing the bereaved families from Leeds on the taskforce, claimed Mr Murray apologised and left the meeting after an hour.

“He missed all of the actual conversation part - the useful bits of information, which wasn’t ideal,” she told The Yorkshire Post.

“It was good that he did come, but it was planned already and he came for an hour and left.”

Ms Caulfield said the meeting went on for another hour and a half after Mr Murray had exited, and this included a presentation from NHS England on maternity services.

She said: “It was actually a very constructive discussion, but it wasn’t going to who it needed to - the person ultimately responsible wasn’t there for it.”

The Department for Health and Social Care said that Mr Murray has been in high demand since his appointment as Health Secretary, and that he had to leave to meet with the Prime Minister.

The former health secretary Wes Streeting announced a public inquiry into maternity services in Leeds last year.

A BBC investigation revealed the deaths of at least 56 babies and two mothers over the past five years may have been prevented, while legal firm Irwin Mitchell is representing more than 30 families in action against the trust.

After months of meetings between Mr Streeting and the bereaved families, the then-health secretary finally confirmed their choice, senior midwife Donna Ockenden, as chair in February.

Ms Caulfield was one of the bereaved parents who met with Mr Streeting on multiple occasions, whose daughter Grace was stillborn in 2022.

Medical staff then lost Ms Caulfield’s placenta, meaning vital tests to ascertain Grace’s cause of death could not be done.

A Health Safety Investigation Branch report found several care issues including Grace’s growth not being consistently monitored because of the use of different systems between Leeds and Bradford, where Ms Caulfield was also being treated.

Of the new Health Secretary, she said: “It very much feels like we’re starting again - it’s someone who doesn’t know us, why we’re in the position we’re in.

“It’s just exhausting doing everything all over again. Trying to find it in ourselves to trust someone when we’ve been failed all over again - it’s a really big ask of families.

“He did try to offer reassurances but it feels like they’re falling on deaf ears.”

A DHSC spokesperson said: “The Secretary of State is absolutely committed to urgently improving maternity services and knows how vital this work is.

"He chaired the second taskforce meeting on his third day in the role, and while he was required to leave early for a meeting with the Prime Minister, the full session continued under the leadership of Minister for Women's Health, Baroness Merron, who serves as vice-chair and was present throughout.”