Donna Ockenden is a senior midwife and healthcare leader who has spent more than 35 years reforming patient safety in UK maternity services.
Born in South Wales, she overcame a difficult childhood marked by poverty, family breakdown, and a period of homelessness.
As a young midwife she cared for a baby named Gina who died from substandard care. This tragic event led to her lifelong 'Gina promise' to devote her career to making childbirth safer for mothers and infants.
Ockenden qualified as both a nurse and a midwife, before moving into senior NHS leadership roles. She transitioned into a formidable independent investigator, widely known for uncovering systemic NHS failures.
In 2017, she was appointed to chair the Ockenden Review into Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust. Her landmark 2022 final report exposed severe deficiencies connected to the deaths of over 200 babies and nine mothers, shifting national perspectives on maternity clinical governance.
Ockenden was later chosen to lead the largest maternity investigation in NHS history at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Her 2026 report has identified hundreds of cases of avoidable harm and prompted national safety reforms.
Outside of healthcare she is an active community advocate, founding the Four Streets Project charity in Chichester to support the local homeless population.
Stephen Smith speaks to friends, families and colleagues who know her best.
Production: Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Bethan Ashmead Latham, Annabel Deas Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele, Siobhan Reed Sound: Rod Farquhar Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith