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, with hearings expected to conclude in the New Year.
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
Week 2 – Private Sessions
Week 3 – Private Sessions, Expert evidence
Week 4 – Part B evidence
Week 5 – Part B evidence
Week 6 – Part B evidence
Week 7 – Part B evidence
Week 8 – Part B evidence
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) |
Week 10 – Part B evidence
| Date | Witness(es) |
|---|---|
| Monday 18 November | Sharon Dodd, Specialist Nurse (Safeguarding Children) Hayley Frame, Independent Chair of Child Death Overview Panel Paula Sindall (née Lewis), Specialist Safeguarding Children’s Nurse Dr Howyada Isaac, Consultant Community Paediatrician (Safeguarding) |
| Tuesday 19 November | Dr Stephen Brearey, Clinical Lead, Neonatal Unit |
| Wednesday 20 November | Dr Nim Subhedar, Clinical Lead, Cheshire and Merseyside Neonatal Network Dr Rajiv Mittal, Designated Doctor for Safeguarding and Child Death Overview Panel (Countess of Chester Hospital) Former Detective Chief Superintendent Nigel Wenham, Police representative on Child Death Overview Panel |
| Thursday 21 November | Lyn Simpson, Former Executive Regional Managing Director for the North (NHS Improvement) Ian Pace, Former legal adviser (Solicitor) to the Countess of Chester Hospital Corinne Slingo, Former legal adviser (Solicitor) to the Countess of Chester Hospital Simon Medland KC, Former legal adviser (Barrister) to the Countess of Chester Hospital |
Week 11 – Part B evidence
| Date | Witness(es) |
|---|---|
| Monday 25 November | Alison Kelly, Director of Nursing |
| Tuesday 26 November | Susan Hodkinson, Director of People and Organisational Development Dr Oliver Rackham, Consultant Neonatologist |
| Wednesday 27 November | Tony Chambers, Chief Executive Officer |
| Thursday 28 November | Ian Harvey, Medical Director |
| Friday 29 November | Ian Harvey, Medical Director (continued) |
Week 12 – Part B Evidence
| Date | Witness(es) |
|---|---|
| Monday 2 December | Sir Duncan Nichol CBE, Chair of Board; James Wilkie, Non-Executive Director; Simon Holden, Chief Financial Officer |
| Tuesday 3 December | Andrew Higgins, Non-Executive Director; Ed Oliver, Non-Executive Director; Rachel Hopwood, Non-Executive Director; Ros Fallon, Non-Executive Director |
| Wednesday 4 December | Louis Browne KC, Barrister; Alan Moore, Former Deputy / Senior Coroner for Cheshire; Helené Donnelly OBE, Ambassador for Cultural Change |
| Thursday 5 December | Stuart Lythgoe, Director of Operations for the Hospital Consultants and Specialist Association; Sybille Raphael, Director from Protect; Professor John Bowers KC, Employment Law Expert |
| Friday 6 December | Nicholas Rheinberg, Former Senior Coroner for Cheshire |
Week 13 – Part B/C Evidence
The Inquiry will sit for two days only this week, and will then break until the New Year.
Public registration for January oral evidence will be available on our website in due course.
| Date | Witness(es) |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 10 December | Sir Rob Behrens CBE – Former Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman |
| Thursday 12 December* *9:30am commencement of evidence | Dr Alan Fletcher – Chief Medical Examiner for England and Wales (remotely) Dr Stephen Turner – Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) Corporate Witness Dr Camilla Kingdon – Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) Corporate Witness Tony Newman – Nursing and Midwifery Council Employer Link Representative |
| Friday 13 December | Evidence from Thursday 12 December may roll in to this day if required.* *If so, evidence will commence at 9:30am. |
Week 15 – Part B/C Evidence
| Date | Witness(es) |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 7 January | Professor of Maternal and Child Population Health, Lead for MBRRACE; Chair of group which produced Code of Conduct for NHS Managers; Professional Standards Authority CEO |
| Wednesday 8 January | Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) Chief Executive Officer; Nursing and Midwifery (NMC) Council Corporate Witness; Co-Author of Health and Social Care Review: Leadership for a Collaborative and Inclusive Future (the “Messenger Review”) |
| Thursday 9 January | Former Chief Executive Officer Mid Cheshire Hospitals Foundation Trust (MCHFT); Professor of Health Policy and Management; Former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care |
Week 16 – Part C Evidence
| Date | Witness(es) |
|---|---|
| Monday 13 January | Chief Executive Officer (Countess of Chester Hospital); Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Corporate Witness |
| Tuesday 14 January | National Guardian for the NHS; Care Quality Commission (CQC) Corporate Witness; Corporate Director of Nursing at the Norther Care Alliance for End-of-Life Care and Bereavement |
| Wednesday 15 January | Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Corporate Witness; Expert Statistician |
| Thursday 16 January | The Inquiry is not sitting on this day. |
| Friday 17 January | Barrister and Author of the Kark Report; National Medical Director NHS England |