Failed when they most needed care over and over again

Mothers and babies suffered avoidable harm

- BY MARTIN BAGOT

Pleas ignored, signs missed, dignity denied

THE scale of the Nottingham maternity scandal was laid bare yesterday after broken families bravely shared their harrowing tales of grief and neglect.

THE scale of the Nottingham maternity scandal was laid bare yesterday after broken families bravely shared their harrowing tales of grief and neglect.

Among the shocking revelations were details of newborns starved of oxygen, mums-to-be sent home despite serious complications and one case of a baby’s body being disposed of as clinical waste.

Hundreds of lives potentially cut short, leaving grieving families to spend years fighting for justice against a culture of deflection and denial.

The landmark probe into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust came ahead of a national review of maternity services, led by Baroness Valerie Amos, which will identify 520 mothers and babies who suffered potentially avoidable harm or death due to poor care.

This included 94 babies who were stillborn, 62 who died shortly after birth and 106 left with brain damage.

Six pregnant women died due to failures that “may have or substantially impacted on the outcome”.

Physiotherapist Sarah Hawkins and her hospital consultant husband Jack both worked at NUH when they lost their first child Harriet there in 2016.

Despite Sarah's pleas, midwives refused to admit her until her sixth day of labour, by which time scans showed Harriet had died.

BEREAVED

The trust then initially claimed Harriet died because of an infection.

At an emotional press conference at Nottingham’s Crowne Plaza hotel yesterday, Sarah said: “They killed my daughter, covered up, ruined our careers and ruined our lives.