The Inquiry will hear oral evidence from witnesses relating to Parts A, B and C of the Terms of Reference from September to December 2024.
Registration to attend the public gallery will open one week at a time, two weeks in advance. All hearing dates are indicative and may be subject to change.
Please note that some witnesses have been granted Special Measures. Information about witnesses’ Special Measures pursuant to Section 17-19 of the Inquiries Act 2005 can be found here.
Week 1 – Opening statement
Date
Witness
Tuesday 10 September
Counsel to the Inquiry
Wednesday 11 September
Counsel to the Inquiry
Thursday 12 September
Legal representatives of Core Participants
Friday 13 September
Legal representatives of Core Participants
Week 2 – Private Sessions
Date
Witness(es)
Monday 16 September
Mother A & B
Mother C
Tuesday 17 September
Mother D
Mother I (to be read)
Wednesday 18 September
Mother E & F
Mother and Father G (to be read)
Thursday 19 September
Mother H
Week 3 – Private Sessions, Expert evidence
Date
Witness(es)
Monday 23 September
Mother and Father J
Mother and Father K
Tuesday 24 September
Father L & M (to be read)
Mother and Father N (to be read)
Wednesday 25 September
Mother and Father O, P and R (to be read)
Thursday 26 September
Professor Mary Dixon-Woods – Expert witness Dr Joanna Garstang – Overview witness on safeguarding and child death processes
Week 4 – Part B evidence
Date
Witness(es)
Monday 30 September
Sir Robert Francis KC – Expert Witness
Tuesday 1 October
Dr John Gibbs – Consultant Paediatrician
Wednesday 2 October
Dr Rachel Lambie – Paediatric Registrar
Dr Matthew Neame – Paediatric Registrar
Dr Huw Mayberry – Paediatric Registrar (remotely)
Dr Cassandra Barrett – Paediatric Registrar
Thursday 3 October
Dr Elizabeth Newby – Consultant Paediatrician
Dr Murthy Saladi – Consultant Paediatrician
Dr Susie Holt – Consultant Paediatrician
Week 5 – Part B evidence
Date
Witness(es)
Monday 7 October
Dr ZA – Consultant Paediatrician Dr V – Consultant Paediatrician Dr U – Consultant Registrar
Tuesday 8 October
Dr McCormack – Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Dr McGuigan – Consultant Paediatrician Dr Jameson – Chair, Medical Staff Committee Dr Tighe – Chair, BMA Local Negotiating Committee Chair
Wednesday 9 October
Dr Bowles – Consultant Clinical Scientist Dr Milan – Consultant Clinical Scientist Kathryn de Beger – Occupational Health Practitioner Inquiry Legal Team reading in/summarising of evidence from doctors who are not being called.
Thursday 10 October
Melanie Taylor – Registered Nurse Ashleigh Hudson – Registered Nurse Kathryn Percival-Calderbank – Registered Nurse Kate Bissell – Registered Nurse Elizabeth Marshall – Neonatal Assistant
Week 6 – Part B evidence
Date
Witness(es)
Monday 14 October
Nurse T – Registered Nurse
Nurse W – Registered Nurse
Nurse ZC – Registered Nurse
Tuesday 15 October
Nicola Lightfoot – Deputy Children’s Ward Manager
Julie Fogarty – Head of Midwifery
Summary of evidence from nurses and midwifes who are not being called to give oral evidence
Wednesday 16 October
Anne McGlade – Children’s Ward Manager
Yvonne Farmer – Registered Practice Development Nurse
Yvonne Griffiths – Neonatal Deputy Ward Manager
Thursday 17 October
Eirian Powell – Neonatal Ward Manager
Week 7 – Part B evidence
Date
Witness(es)
Monday 21 October
Anne Murphy – Lead Nurse of Children’s Services, Karen Rees – Head of Nursing (Urgent Care)
Tuesday 22 October
Debbie Peacock – Risk & Patient Safety Lead, Janet McMahon – Project Lead Risk & Safety Team, Annemarie Lawrence – Clinical Governance Lead and Risk Midwife
Non-sitting period
The Inquiry will break from sittings from 23 October and resume sitting on Monday 4 November.
Week 8 – Part B evidence
Date
Witness(es)
Monday 4 November
Karen Townsend – Director of Urgent Care Ruth Millward – Head of Risk and Patient Safety
Tuesday 5 November
Sian Williams – Deputy Director of Nursing Lorraine Burnett – Director of Operations Dee Appleton-Cairns – Deputy Director of Human Resources
Wednesday 6 November
Hayley Griffiths – RCN Representative Lucy Sementa – Human Resources Specialist Dr Chris Green – Director of Pharmacy
Thursday 7 November
Annette Weatherley – Independent Chair of Grievance Panel Sue Eardley – Head of Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) Invited Reviews
Week 9 – Part B evidence
Date
Witness(es)
Monday 11 November
Claire-Louise McLaughlan, Lay Reviewer, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)
Alex Mancini, Nurse Reviewer, RCPCH
Dr David Shortland, Paediatrician and Clinical Lead for Invited Reviews, RCPCH
Dr Nicholas Wilson, Consultant Neonatologist and instructed as Quality Assurance Reviewer, RCPCH
Tuesday 12 November
Dr Jane Hawdon, Consultant Neonatologist, Royal Free London Hospital
Dr Jo McPartland, Consultant Paediatric Pathologist, Alder Hey Hospital
Wednesday 13 November
Dr Ravi Jayaram, Clinical Lead Children’s Services
Thursday 14 November
Helen Cain, Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspector
Dr Benjamin Odeka, CQC Inspector
Mary Potter, CQC Inspector
Elizabeth Childs, CQC Inspection Chair
Friday 15 November
Ann Ford, CQC Inspector
Julie Hughes, CQC Inspector
(Evidence from other CQC witnesses may roll into this day if required)
