Detectives working alongside and liaising with the Ockenden Report team are looking into approximately 600 cases, the Health Secretary told Parliament.
Following the release of the final version of the Ockenden report into maternity care and treatment at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust, West Mercia Police said its own investigation was ongoing.
Detective Chief Superintendent Damian Barratt, who is leading the investigation, said: “We have been liaising closely with the Ockenden Review and are, of course, aware of the release of the report today.
“Our investigation, named Operation Lincoln, was launched in 2017 to explore whether there is evidence to support a criminal case against the Trust or any individuals involved. This investigation remains ongoing and very much active.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid makes a statement to MPs in the House of Commons, London, following the publication of the Ockenden report in the catastrophic failings within the maternity unit at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust. Picture date: Wednesday March 30, 2022.
House of Commons
“This is a highly complex and very sensitive investigation that has required us to speak to a large number of people to gather as much information as we can.”
The officer added: “We are also consulting with a number of medical specialists to ensure our investigation is thorough and that the best possible investigation is completed for the families involved.
Donna Ockenden, chair of the Independent Review into Maternity Services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, presents the final report at The Mercure Shrewsbury Albrighton Hotel, Shropshire. The Ockenden report has looked at 1,862 cases within the maternity unit at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust, with most of the incidents taking place between 2000 and 2019. Picture date: Wednesday March 30, 2022.
Jacob King
“No arrests have been made and no charges have been brought, however we are engaging with the Crown Prosecution Service as our inquiries continue. We will be fully reviewing the findings of the report and feeding appropriate elements into our investigation.
“We do not underestimate the impact the report’s findings and our ongoing investigation has on the families involved, who have suffered unimaginable trauma and grief that they still live with today.
“Our thoughts remain with them, and we can reassure the community that when there is an update on our investigation we will share this with the families involved first and foremost and then to the wider public.”
During a statement to MPs on Wednesday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid offered assurances that the people responsible for “serious and repeated failures” will be held to account.
The Health Secretary said: “I’d like to reassure MPs that a number of people who were working at the trust at the time of the incidents have been suspended or struck off from the professional register, and members of senior management have also been removed from their posts.
“There is also an active police investigation, Operation Lincoln, which is looking at around 600 cases.”