Donna Ockenden

Donna Ockenden, is a British midwife and community activist. She was commissioned in 2016 by the then UK Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Hunt, to chair an independent review into maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust. Initial findings of the Ockenden Review were reported in December 2020, with a final report published on 17 March 2022. In May 2022, it was announced by NHS England that Ockenden would chair an independent review of maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH). This review commenced at the beginning of September 2022 and is expected to continue until late 2025.

In February 2021, Ockenden was named as a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce. The fellowship is awarded by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), and is limited to individuals determined to have made outstanding achievements to social progress and development.

In July 2023, She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of West London for her achievements and expertise in UK maternity services.

Ockenden has been as honorary president of Baby Lifeline, the mother and baby charity founded 40 years ago by Judy Ledger following the personal tragedy of losing three premature babies. Donna is also a patron of MASIC, a charity that supports birth injured mothers and seeks to raise of the life changing effects of Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries (OASI's).

Life
In 1985, aged 18, Ockenden found herself homeless in Bristol, with responsibility for her four younger siblings, aged four to sixteen.

From 2013 to 2017 Ockenden was first clinical director of midwifery, jointly with a Co clinical director, Obstetrics at the London Strategic Clinical Network at NHS England. In 2015 the Nursing and Midwifery Council also appointed her as a Senior Midwifery Adviser in chief to the Chief Executive.

Ockenden lives in Chichester. In January 2016 she and her daughters founded The Four Streets Project, a charity to support Chichester's homeless population. She also started the Community Coat Rack, which gives free coats to those in need in the winter. Chichester District Council gave Ockenden a civic award in February 2019. In 2022, Ockenden was named in the Vogue 25  'honouring the women shaping and remaking Britain in 2022'. Also in 2022, Ockenden was named in the HSJ Top 100 Healthcare Leaders across the UK