1/3 This month we honour #BlackHistoryMonth, raise awareness for #DownSyndromeAwareness and support those affected by #BreastCancerAwareness. We recognise the diverse population of families included in the Review, and want to show our support to those families that may need it at this time.

1/3 This baby loss awareness week, a Nottingham family have organised a beautiful ribbon display to support other bereaved families, raise awareness of baby loss and to create a special place to remember those who have experienced a pregnancy or baby loss.

Today marks the start of Baby Loss Awareness Week 9-15th October. #BLAW is marked across the world. This week, the Review team will once again honour the lives of all the babies who have died.

We’re delighted to share that @dockendenltd.bsky.social  has joined MAMA Academy as an ambassador!  For more than three decades, Donna has been a leading voice for safer maternity care in the UK and beyond.

Goodnight #Nottingham, v busy day at the Review: meetings with: families & ICB; for L&I: we met with reps from NUH & NHSE; NICU visit at NUH; & families & NUH. Tmrw:meeting with CEO of NUH; more family meetings before heading back to offices in #chichester : thank you

Goodnight #Nottingham. We arrived yesterday to a day full of family meetings. Today we have met with families; including the GMC; NMC. Tomorrow we will host more family meetings, meet the ICB, and attend L&l. Here until Thursday, but our office is contactable mon-fri 8am-5pm.

1/2 Thinking of the many parents and families affected by baby/child loss/death on Bereaved Parents Day. 🕊️ I took this video earlier this year on the way to visiting Baby Kernow (Cornwall’s baby). Baby Kernow is unknown, but I always remember & lay flowers - I have done so for

Thinking of all fathers today 💜 Today may feel difficult for many fathers especially those without their babies & children for any reason - but please know that you are not alone. If you are within Review & need extra support today please contact FPSS. Support can be found on the Review website.

Goodnight #Nottingham, thank you for welcoming us. We are grateful to all families that gave up their Saturday to join us & engage in some v important discussions. Thank you to: families, charities & MPs. Tmrw our senior midwives will be holding family meetings b4 heading home.

Today we held a meeting for all involved in the Notts Maternity Review. We were joined by many families, charities, MPs, & local/regional journalists. Thank you to everyone who attended and we hope to see you all again at the next meeting in September. We read & respond to emails 7 days a week.

Before the Review team & I began our journey to #Nottingham for tomorrow’s Family Meeting, we did a pit stop at #Portsmouth to speak to midwifery students about how they can make a difference to safe maternity care. I trained as a midwife at Portsmouth so it is v special to me 💜

A beautiful day today at Baliffscourt Hotel for a very mini half term break with @phoebeockenden.bsky.social Just walking, chatting & chilling in the most beautiful surroundings. So delighted we made this choice: Its only 8 miles from Chichester so not the usual travel that’s a part of my life ❤️ ❤️

Such a privilege to accompany students from Chichester College to meet @jessbrownfullermp.bsky.social @houseofcommons.parliament.uk All the students have additional needs but they more than rose to the challenge: with significant research about Parliament before the visit. Thank you Jess & team ❤️

6:30am Saturday start for the Review team! Setting off to #nottingham for some v important family meetings & conversations today but still found time for my 0500 morning meditation & a quick coffee with V & E to keep us going. ☕️ A short day trip, but back in #Notts w/c 19th May

1/3 Still in awe of attending last night’s commemoration of VE Day in the company of veterans, their families, senior military leadership, and the wonderful team from the historic royal palaces.

Maternity, prevention, mental health and children’s services are the national budgets seeing the biggest cuts after government and NHS England decided to slash ringfenced allocations, HSJ analysis reveals. www.hsj.co.uk/finance-and-...

NHSE budget cuts hit maternity, children and prevention

Maternity, prevention, mental health and children's services are the national budgets seeing the biggest cuts after government and NHS England decided to slash ringfenced allocations, HSJ analysis rev...

hsj.co.uk

Honoured to have been invited to Jenni Thomas’ book launch of ‘after a child dies’. I have known Jenni since I was a student midwife & have seen the way she has helped & supported so+ many bereaved families over the years. Thank you for all that you continue to do in supporting bereaved families.

Today I met Katie Russell, mother of Poppy who died avoidably as a result of maternity care in Apr 2021. Poppy’s parents have used some of their grief & anger to develop Poppy’s Promise a step by step communication tool for across the NHS. We met Baroness Merron at DHSC today to discuss next steps ❤️

The end of the Easter hols & back to Chichester College for Miss Phoebes @phoebeockenden.bsky.social - Maximum effort now Miss P until May half term ❤️

Pope Francis, dies aged 88. My thoughts are with everyone in the global Catholic Church following the death of Pope Francis. He continued his life of service right to his last day, meeting 1000s of people on Easter Sunday. Rest in peace Holy Father. You will be missed across faiths & across the 🌎

Brilliant to visit Chelsea Physic Garden today for a wander around & enjoy the beautiful blossom & blooms. Loved it so much I decided to join! Don’t know when I’ll get a chance to visit but it’s a little ‘oasis’ less than 15 mins walk from Victoria train station! Fab cafe too! Lovely soup at lunch

A ‘living wall’ on a high London building just up from Victoria Station. It’s beautiful & so full of flowers.

Spending Easter weekend with my gorgeous girl @phoebeockenden.bsky.social am so enjoying a few days with her in Chichester & London! She’s back to Chichester College on Tues & I’ll be back to to work. Keeping ‘an eye’ on everything in the meantime. Shopping & chatting later in London us two girls ❤️

So: It’s Easter hols from college for @phoebeockenden.bsky.social so away for a few days! Brighton! Miss P has started with a Pimms & lemonade! We have afternoon tea & then just mooching round the fab shops & kind of chatting & chilling. Life so v v busy so we try to just be together 💕 when we can ❤️

Such an honour to have been invited to 🇮🇪 to share ideas with such awesome colleagues. Thank you so much for such a warm welcome #medprof2025

RCSI Centre for Professionalism in Medicine and Health Sciences@rcsi-medprof.bsky.social · last yr.

@dockendenltd.bsky.social and Prof Bill Maher, Group Chief Executive, Bon Secours Health System, speaking this morning at #MedProf25 @rcsi.bsky.social

Barriers to effective teamwork: listening to Dr Millie Kehoe: many ++ top down directives, introduced with minimal engagement/discussion, fear of speaking up & out even with patient harm/ power imbalances/ high service demand, work pressure & poor handovers. There are solutions: still so much to do

Hearing from Dr Denis McCauley at #Medprof25 on the challenges facing the med workforce in 🇮🇪 Are 🇮🇪 keeping up? No: catching up? Not really: with an increasingly older & complex population. Focussing on the damage done to patients & staff when resources & capacity do not match population need.

At #MEDPROF25 listening to a brilliant account from Tib Pereira @pfps-ireland.bsky.social explaining the journey towards effective patient representation across Ireland 🇮🇪 Still on the journey towards full empowerment & equal partnership between patients & healthcare staff but progress being made

1/2 From history to modernity: @rcsi-medprof.bsky.social has a span of 200 years ++ in Dublin. An honour to be asked to speak & to be given a tour of the old medical school with such a fab history. Here is the first female FRCSI with a staircase named after her… And barbers poles? Any guesses why?

#MedProf25 Speaker Spotlight- Donna Ockenden is a nurse, and midwife.She has more than 35 years’ experience within a variety of health settings both in the UK and internationally. We look forward to welcoming her to #Dublin for #MedProf25 conference -Teamwork in Healthcare dockendenltd.bsky.social