A year after the launch of an independent review into maternity services, families are continuing to share stories of inadequate care. Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has been under investigation for a 10-year period during which more than 1,700 cases of potential harm to newborn babies and mothers have been reported, according to Sky News.
The leader of the investigation, midwife Donna Ockenden concluded that more than 200 babies’ deaths may have occurred due to catastrophic failures in 2022. For an extended period, grieving parents campaigned tirelessly to initiate an investigation into the maternity care provided at Nottingham Hospital and the Queen’s Medical Centre. They also created support groups to help other bereaved parents.
A heartbreaking incident occurred in 2020 when a baby, Teddy, lost his life just one day after being discharged from Nottingham City Hospital. Kim Herrington, Teddy’s mother said, “Teddy was small for his gestational age when he was born at 41 weeks. He should have automatically triggered the hypoglycemic monitoring pathway which meant he should have had his bloods checked, he should have had monitored feeds, he should have been kept in and closely monitored for 24 to 48 hours.” Since the tragic death of her son, Kim has since given birth at a different trust.
Anthony May, the Chief Executive of Nottingham University Hospital, issued a statement through Sky News, stating the following: “We know that the independent review is important for women and families, and for the future of the trust. Over the past year, we have prioritised our engagement with the review and will continue to do so. Above all, we are committed to making the necessary improvements to our maternity services and supporting our teams to deliver safe and informed care, for all women and families.”
Another case involved the tragic still birth of baby Harriet whose father served as a consultant at the trust in 2016. At first, Dr Hawkins and his partner were informed that Harriet’s death was attributed to an infection. However, through their determined efforts they managed to push for an independent investigation where they found out that their child’s death was “almost certainly preventable.” They received a 2.8 million payout from the NHS after finding 13 failures in care.
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