Ockenden: The NHS ‘failed’ to keep my daughter safe

Donna Ockenden has led a number of patient safety reviews in the health service,

Donna Ockenden has spoken out about the care her daughter Phoebe received in an emergency department (Jacob King/PA) (PA Archive)

A top midwife who has led reviews into care failings in the NHS has slammed the health service for “failing” to give her daughter safe care.

Donna Ockenden described how she felt obliged to help patients who were in need of support during recent trips to A&E with her daughter Phoebe.

On a third visit to the emergency department (ED), Phoebe, who has epilepsy and was having seizures, was left in a chair on her own for seven hours after being transferred to hospital by ambulance.

Ms Ockenden, who has led official probes into maternity care failings in the health service, has said she is “disgusted” at the care her 20-year-old daughter received.

In an interview with the PA news agency, Ms Ockenden said: “It was Phoebe’s third attendance in A&E in the last weeks.

“She had been seizure-free for nine months and was doing really well with her epilepsy and her independence.

“She had a recent change to her medication.

“Since October 9 we have had three 999 conveyances over to hospital.

“During the first two (visits) I was with her and I was her advocate, it was still pretty rubbish… but for the third I was in Dubai on holiday and woke up to messages about Phoebe being in A&E.

“Despite her learning disabilities and being known to the service she was dropped off in the waiting room on her own, she is 20 but she is really vulnerable, and was left in a chair for seven hours still having some seizures.

“Initially she was left in the waiting area on her own, it’s just unspeakable, it’s absolutely disgusting and disgraceful.”

Ms Ockenden, who has worked in the health service for more than 40 years, said that during the first two visits Phoebe was “just about kept safe” because she had been with her.

She referred to the recent Darzi review into the NHS which concluded that A&E is in an “awful state”.

Ms Ockenden said that she felt that corridor care has become “normalised” after seeing laminated signs on walls signposting where patients wait on trolleys.

“The two nights I was with Phoebe, I was actually providing care for other patients on trolleys,” she said.

“On the first night I found myself looking after an elderly lady who was very confused, she was calling out for water.

“I thought: ‘Oh, I better not give her water, because if she had swallowing difficulties she could choke’ so I checked with someone and I was able to give her water.

“On the second night there was a very confused, old gentleman, on a trolley – no one keeping an eye on him.

“He was trying to get off the trolley to go to toilet, calling out to go to toilet.

“I said, to Phoebe’s dad, ‘we’re going to have to ask to take him, he’s going so distressed he’s going to climb off that trolley’ so he walked the gentleman to the toilet and waited outside.

“We saw the gentleman later – he had put his hat and coat on by himself and he was trying to get out the door.

“And we had to alert staff… if we hadn’t spotted it, goodness knows where he could have ended up.”

She added: “I’m desperately worried about this winter.

“Because I’m Phoebe’s mum, I am praying fervently that she doesn’t need to go into A&E anymore… but with her health complexities, we’ll be very lucky if we get through the winter without her needing to go in.

“I just think, yes, something has got to be done.”

Ms Ockenden, from Sussex, first spoke about Phoebe’s experiences on X. She wrote: “So a 3rd visit in 3 wks to ED for my darling @OckendenPhoebe. I was away on holidays & with her learning disabilities the NHS failed to give her safe care: 7 hrs in a chair/ seizures / 1 set of vital signs/no medication/ no medical review. Until I raised the roof! Disgusted!”

She added: “It’s so very very frightening that despite Phoebe being 20 now I am ‘on call’ 24/7 to ensure she gets basic/safe care. No frills! Just safety. Not currently happening. Clear on that.”

Phoebe has called for a meeting with Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who has previously spoken of his “huge respect for Donna Ockenden”.

She posted on X: “@wesstreeting You say the NHS is broken now you must fix it. I’ve been to ED 3 times in the last 4 weeks with seizures, always on a trolley: this time a chair for 7 hrs with seizures without mum @DOckendenLtd I am not safe meet me pls to make sure this gets sorted, I’m waiting!”

Ms Ockenden led a review into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and is currently leading the probe into maternity care Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Ms Ockenden did not want to name the hospital involved in her daughter’s care.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Phoebe’s experience is unacceptable and is symptomatic of our broken NHS.

“The Chancellor has announced a £22.6 billion injection into the NHS to get it back on its feet, so it can be there for all of us when we need it, once again.”