The boss of a scandal-hit health trust has opened up on its failures after a 10-month fight by regional news outlets.

ITV Central, BBC Midlands Today and Shropshire Star joined forces to pressure Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital Trust into honouring a commitment to be more open, honest and transparent.

The trust had made the pledge after an independent review published 10 months ago into maternity care in Shropshire found serious, repeated mistakes in care led to hundreds of deaths and injuries to mothers and babies.

However, ITV, BBC and the Star had made repeated requests for those in charge to go on the record in the subsequent months.

Now, after ITV sent a formal letter to the trust – co-signed by the BBC and the Star – chief executive Louise Barnett has allowed herself to be interviewed, telling ITV Central environment correspondent Charlotte Cross the organisation had “let everyone down”.

Charlotte, pictured, a former HTFP journalist and chief reporter on Wolverhampton’s Express & Star, said: “A good example, I think, of local journalists doing what we are here to do – hold those in power to account and speak on behalf of the people we represent.”

The Ockendon review collected evidence from 1,486 families, making it one of the biggest health scandals in NHS history, and examined cases of death or harm between 1998 and 2017.

Ms Barnett revealed to Charlotte that 110 out of 210 recommendations made as a result of the review have now been implemented, while the BBC and the Star also conducted sit-down interviews.

ITV News Central’s head of mews Liz Hannam said: “This was the largest maternity scandal in the history of the NHS. At the time, the Trust’s leadership team promised greater openness, honesty, and transparency, then for the next nine months refused all our requests for interviews regarding their progress.

“After discussing these repeated frustrations with colleagues – in particular with our lead correspondent on this story, Charlotte Cross – we decided this couldn’t continue.

“I approached Stuart Thomas, BBC head of the Midlands and Martin Wright, editor-in-chief of the Shropshire Star to write a joint letter to the Trust, asking that they honour their commitment and enable us to interview the CEO, and give us access to the maternity services.”

Liz added: “Rivalry between journalists is a great driver to find exclusives, but sometimes the public good is better served when we act together.

“It showed public officials that they couldn’t keep avoiding media scrutiny on a matter of vital local importance.

“Upon publication of the Ockenden Review last year, Donna Ockenden herself thanked the media for helping to expose the deep-seated problems at the Trust. We made an on-air promise to our viewers to keep scrutinising their actions and holding them to account.

“I’m proud to have a team dedicated to honouring that promise.”