Horror as baby declared stillborn at UK hospital ‘was still alive’ | UK | News
A mother at a major hospital in the UK was told her little girl was stillborn, only to be told later that she had been rejected by the morgue because she was still alive. The “sickening” case is one of 20 investigated at John Radcliffe University Hospital in Oxford as part of a review ordered by Health Secretary Wes Streeting into “moral failure” at the NHS facility. Emma Cox, who gave birth to twins in 2011 when she was 17, went into spontaneous labor when she was 24 weeks pregnant and has described the terrifying few hours that followed, before learning that both her children had died.
“I was told that one was stillborn and the other was picked up, resuscitated and taken to the neonatal unit,” he said in the reports. jointly published By Channel 4 News and the New Statesman. “Lilly was brought back to me a short time later and they said the morgue couldn’t take her because she was actually alive.” It was reported that the newborn was left in the hospital radiator for 12 hours before he died.
Oxford University Hospitals Trust is among 12 trusts under a rapid maternity review led by Baroness Amos, following inquiries from more than 20 families who lost babies, whose children were born with serious disabilities or suffered personal harm as a result of inadequate care.
News outlets were told that in addition to documenting the disturbing cases, the foundation also secretly recorded a patient support group founded by Rebecca Matthews. Matthews said she was denied a cesarean delivery even though she had severe pregnancy-related preeclampsia.
Ms Matthews, whose child is severely disabled and confined to a wheelchair, allegedly said during a meeting that she had a “tendency to barricade the doors and set fire to the entire building with everyone in it”. An obstetric researcher who was recording the session reported the comments to police, but they took no further action.
Other group members suggested he made a “throwaway comment” as frustrations grew, and Ms Matthews described the “secret” recording as a major breach of trust.
“This was recorded without our consent…our experiences of sharing all of this trauma and harms that we thought we shared in a safe space,” she said. “We were absolutely speechless.”
Mr Streeting also described the recording as a “sickening betrayal” of patients and said he wanted NHS England to launch an “immediate” investigation into the trust’s practices.
Simon Crowther, Interim Chief Executive of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “At Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, we recognize the profound responsibility we are given to care for women, babies and families at some of the most important and vulnerable moments in their lives.
“We extend our sincere apologies to all families who were not able to receive the standard of care they deserved, and offer our condolences to those who have suffered a tragic loss.
“We are working hard to listen to the concerns raised with care and compassion, and we are fully committed to learning from them. The Foundation participates openly and transparently in the National Maternity and Newborn Survey led by Lady Amos, and we welcome this opportunity to reflect, improve and ensure every voice is heard.
“We have taken meaningful steps to strengthen and improve our maternity services in recent years. This includes significant investment in our workforce with the recruitment of 54 additional midwives.”
“We have improved clinical training and strengthened leadership across the service. We have also invested in our properties and facilities to improve the environment in which care is delivered. We have also made improvements to our bereavement services to ensure families experiencing loss receive compassionate, specialist support.
“But we recognize there is more to be done and we remain committed to going further.”
